Despite the widespread attention given to education reform, no substantial knowledge base has existed for identifying and implementing specific effective reforms. This document, the first of three volumes, presents findings of a study that sought to identify the essential mechanics of effective reforms for students at risk. The study also…

The Benito Juarez Academy is a charter school for grades 9-12 located in Saginaw, Michigan. The school was established in 1995 to meet the needs of youth who were most at risk for low academic achievement, behavioral problems, and dropping out of school. This paper describes the school's planning and development process and the attitudes of…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined an alternative learning program in a large urban school district in the midwestern United States. The goal of the project was to determine if the specific alternative learning program could have a positive effect on student motivation, goal orientation, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Research…

Oregon's annual dropout rate increased from 6 percent in the 1992-93 school year to 7.4 percent in the 1994-95 school year. Some schools, however, managed to reduce their dropout rate. This report explores the strategies that worked for 15 Oregon high schools that reduced their dropout rate. Interviews were conducted with representatives of Oregon…

This newsletter contains six articles focusing on dropouts, potential dropouts, dropout rates, and dropout prevention, particularly in Texas and among Hispanics and other minority groups. "Improving Student Performance: Study Identifies Better Approach" (Maria Robledo Montecel, Josie Danini Supik, and Jose A. Cardenas) correlates student…

This report presents statistical data on the dropout rates in Massachusetts public schools for 1990. The data were gathered through a state mandated annual survey of the state's public schools. Dropouts are defined as students aged 16 years or older who leave school prior to graduation for reasons other than transfer to another school. The report…

A study was done to describe the development of seven alternative schools for youth who dropped out of high school or who were at risk of doing so on the model of a Brooklyn (New York) alternative school, High School Redirection. The replication demonstration took place in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 school years in Cincinnati (Ohio), Denver…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between student demographic characteristics and at-risk status are presented in this paper. Demographic characteristics likely to place students at risk include low family income, low parental education, single-parent family, and limited-English proficiency. Data were derived from the National…

Findings from a study designed to evaluate the Houston Independent School District's (HISD) program for identifying students at risk of dropping out are presented in this report. In the 1988-89 school year HISD employed a scheme of four state-mandated criteria for identifying at-risk students, and this scheme's performance in predicting actual…

To combat their school dropout problems, Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools created an alternative high school for marginal and high risk students attending conventional high schools and for students who had already dropped out. Classes at North Education Center were scheduled from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and featured year-round, 42-day terms to…

The problems of at-risk students are discussed in this document. The first chapter defines nine categories of students at risk: limited background attainments; personal development difficulties; physical deprivation; disease and illness; neglect or abuse; emotional handicaps; nonscholarly tendencies; substance addiction; and antisocial tendencies.…

Behind the negative composite profile of school dropouts often lie the internalized characteristics of low self-esteem, thwarted ambition, and personal failure. This document presents an analysis of several different demographic, behavioral, and academic characteristics of students who withdrew from grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 in the Nashville…

This paper describes efforts to identify students at risk of dropping out of school in 21 school districts in central New York. Examination of the student folders of 309 recent dropouts and interviews with principals, superintendents, and guidance counselors provided data, which were organized on student dropout data sheets, a protocol developed…

Designed for persons in schools or community agencies who wish to implement a program for at-risk youth that emphasizes the development of leadership skills, this replication guide represents 2 years of program refinement. While the strategies described here can be managed by either a school or agency, this guide was written from the perspective…

Two groups of students at risk of not developing adequate mathematical knowledge and skills are (1) the "typical or usual" and (2) "the nominal mathematics students"--those who do not achieve at a satisfactory level in mathematics and/or do not enroll in mathematics courses beyond typical required courses. This digest provides…