IN ASSISTING EFFORTS TOWARD QUALITY VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, THE FORD FOUNDATION HAS MADE GRANTS TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE VIEW THAT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY AT ALL LEVELS OF SECONDARY AND POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, AND THAT IMPROVEMENT OF VOCATIONAL AND…

The purpose of the Sylacauga, Alabama, exemplary program, reported for the period from July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1973, was to demonstrate practices found effective for working with socioeconomically disadvantaged and other dropout-prone students. Program objectives were to provide: (1) student counseling services to help appraise interests,…

This is a summary of detailed planning documents for achieving 8 of the 11 1975 objectives adopted by the South Carolina State board of education in 1970. Separate sections discuss plans for reducing the number of school dropouts, reducing the number of first grade failures, implementing a Statewide kindergarten system, improving students' basic…

As part of a study designed to develop youth programs which would maximize social and occupational adjustment of minorities in the rural Southwest, this report contains a detailed description of the general framework and/or tentative guidelines for a Chicano youth program. Also included are operating principles for an American Indian program…

A food and nutrition study conducted in six different areas of one state is discussed. The youth phase of the program was designed to provide an educational program for young people from low-income families. Pre-tests and post-tests were prepared and designed to determine the effectiveness of the Tricks for Treats unit in influencing the behavior…

American schools have been credited with building American democracy. This is a myth which has been largely responsible for the resistance of today's schools to needed change. Exposing this myth are records of several major urban school systems which show the high rate of school failure among the urban poor since before 1900. These statistics have…

The purpose of this practicum was to develop and test a model work experience program designed to meet the needs of junior high school students identified as educationally disadvantaged and/or potential school dropouts. The model program included occupational orientation, occupational preparation, and on-the-job training experiences. The program…

Compares 86 Mexican-American secondary school students in Houston, Texas, who had and 90 students who had not received bilingual instruction in elementary grades. Finds small difference in grade point average (GPA) and absenteeism and fewer dropouts/retentions among bilingual program participants. Finds more years of bilingual instruction…

Estimates impact of community resource development (CRD) programs on a variety of quality of life indicators for 73 Arkansas counties that were nonmetropolitan in 1960. Results indicate that few quality of life indicators were affected in the direction intended by CRD programs. Examines substantive and methodological implications of the findings.…

A study examined the relationship between: (1) the balance struck between career and technical education (CTE) and academic course-taking during the high school years; and (2) academic achievement, persistence in high school, and postsecondary destinations. Data for the study were drawn from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. The…

Why students drop out of school and how to prevent them from doing so has been a recurring theme in research literature. Many factors influence the decision to drop out, including student access to counseling. This question of access to counseling is explored in this paper so as to identify variables that can be manipulated through policy…

The Cushing (Oklahoma) Public Schools have had an annual dropout rate of 3.3% in recent years (40 students in 1995-96), but their goal is to decrease the number of dropouts by at least 50%. The school district has had several alternative programs for dropout reduction in place. Needs assessment has shown that all of Cushing's dropouts were in high…

Though conventional public schools enroll the vast majority of difficult-to-educate students, many such students who are not accepted by public schools end up at private schools. This report describes the role of private institutions in educating these students, incorporating case studies and analyzing various institutional arrangements. Part 1…

A study explored possible reasons why technical and further education (TAFE) students enrolling in vocational education and training (VET) courses in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia do not complete those courses. Findings were based on these two kinds of evidence: evidence obtained from a statistical investigation of the outcomes…

Although the emphasis elsewhere is on learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder as possible causal factors for high dropout rates and associated student deficiencies in adult education (AE), a project explored an alternative etiology: intention deficit disorder. The hypothesis was that higher level "executive" regulatory…