Recent literature suggests it is not students' backgrounds, but schools' response to students' backgrounds that determines students' success in school. School practices and policies adopted in response to student performance in attendance, academics, and behavior also have a significant impact on students' decision to leave school before…

Cleveland's Comprehensive School-Age Parenting Program focuses on the following: (1) providing preventive health education to give middle school students a sense of identity and self-awareness; (2) preventing the mother from dropping out; and (3) helping the father cope with the situation and remain in school. (PS)

The study attempts to answer the following questions: (1) do the characteristics of a school with a low dropout rate differ significantly from the characteristics of a school with a high dropout rate; (2) does the dropout rate predict the quality of education received at the school? Methods and findings are summarized and suggestions are made for…

Descriptive data from a questionnaire completed by 1610 freshmen at a community college were used to identify potential dropouts. High school average, curriculum, reasons for going to college, certainty of occupational objectives, parental attitudes toward college, and college rating were significantly related to intention to persist. (RC)

Describes nine facets of quality at-risk education programs that have been identified by the National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN): accelerated academic curriculum, strong literacy component, deliberate self-management program, personalized curriculum, project-experiential-work orientation, smaller school and class size, solid planning and…

High School and Beyond Study data for 744 public high schools were used to study the influence of school size on diversity of academic offerings, school social climate, and dropout rate. Potential links between school size and dropout rate were greatly attributable to social climate, especially concerning student participation. (SLD)

Reviews research on instructional practices that help at-risk students. The programs reviewed fall into three general categories: prevention programs at the primary level, classroom change programs, and supplementary/remedial programs. Lists general features that characterize these programs. (TE)

The conventional wisdom on how tomorrow's scientists are identified and trained in elementary and secondary schools is being questioned. The importance and reasons behind encouraging students to stay in science and mathematics are emphasized. (KR)

Randomly assigned 60 adolescent girls at risk for school failure to payment program in which girls received $50.00/month to improve grades or attendance; case management program; or control group. Both experimental groups were superior to control with respect to positive changes in grades and attendance. Case management program showed much…

Reviews current literature on dropout prevention strategies and suggests intervention strategies that might be appropriate for small rural schools. Discusses unique characteristics of small rural schools and considers strategies of early identification, networking, group counseling, family counseling, academic tutoring-counseling combinations, and…

Examined effects of multimodal counseling program Succeeding in School with potential dropouts (N=98) in grades six to eight. Found Succeeding in School program seemed to have positive influence on middle school students' attitudes toward school. (ABL)

This book offers profiles of 30 high school students at Oak Park and River Forest (OPRF) High School, in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. Located in a neighborhood characterized by great disparity among residents' incomes, the school is one of the country's premier secondary schools. The book was written by the school dean, who taught a…

Effective student retention strategies involve creating a vision and committing to that vision, ensuring that processes are applied systematically, providing support, and offering high quality instruction. Creating an effective program means having a real sense of what "program completion" is, how the state and programs define and measure…

A study examined the variables affecting individuals' decisions to discontinue attendance in or complete their adult basic education (ABE) program. The study sample consisted of 2,323 students enrolled in an ABE program through an urban community college in the Midwest over a 2-year period. Data were derived from student records and program…

This packet contains materials and lists resources to help those concerned with preventing students from dropping out of school. The packet begins with excerpts from a report prepared by the American Institutes for Research (Robert J. Rossi and others) on the "Evaluation of Projects Funded by the School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Program."…