This document consists of Part 4 of a book of readings on at-risk youth designed to provide information and strategies for counselors, teachers, parents, administrators, social workers, and others who work with youth at risk. Part 4 deals with the school dropout and school and community programs that have proven to be effective in working with…

A risk assessment instrument for identifying potential dropouts at the middle and high school levels and an accompanying explanation of the instrument are provided in this document. The instrument provides a checklist of 21 criteria; the more criteria the student meets, the greater his risk of dropping out. Criteria include age in comparison to…

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…