This report examines the correlates of successful social and educational strategies of a dropout prevention program for minority children in an urban school district. In 1986, Fordham University's Graduate School of Education and Social Services became partners with a heavily-populated minority public school district in New York City. This paper describes the first two years of Fordham's Stay-in-School Partnership Project (SSPP) and attempts to answer the following questions: (1) how much impact did SSPP have on the attendance rate of at-risk children? (2) what effects did it exercise on their academic achievement? and (3) what types of practices and strategies were most effective in this setting? Data on attendance rates, reading and math performance, self-esteem, adequacy of child care, and an emerging "practice profile" of the project are used to answer these questions. SSPP works by addressing the school experience of children at risk through structured tutoring and play therapy, and by confronting outside experiences through family problem-solving and counseling as well as parental workshops. The project responds to the urban school crisis by focusing on preventive strategies supported by data, identifying areas of greatest and weakest impact, and communicating effective practices. (AF)