The issue of high school dropout has long concerned policy makers, educational professionals, and the general public. In the gifted literature, this concern is no less pressing. Student engagement is becoming an increasingly discussed construct for conceptualizing the dropout phenomenon and designing appropriate interventions to prevent this…

This policy brief reports on a study of variation in states' school completion rates for students with disabilities and the relationship of school completion to economic, sociodemographic, and educational variables. States' school completion rates were calculated from data maintained by the Department of Education. In addition, state-level special…

A review of studies examining dropping out of high school prior to graduation demonstrates that grade retention is one of the most powerful predictors of dropout status. Addresses the discrepancies regarding the effectiveness of grade retention and deleterious long-term correlates. Presents the transactional model of development, which emphasizes…

Discusses empirical studies conducted between 1950 and 1970 examining the relations between psychological characteristics of students and subsequent high school dropout. Results clarified some methodological requirements for research on school completion and suggested that social and emotional variables explain some of the variance in school…

Examines the problem of high attrition rates after the introductory compulsory year for students studying languages other than English (LOTEs) in Australian high schools. A quantitative study is described that determined students' intentions to continue with language studies in the following year. Implications for LOTE teaching are discussed. (51…

Literature concerning factors associated with academic performance and withdrawal from college is reviewed separately for North American, United Kingdom, and Australian universities to help illuminate the problem of student withdrawal in Australia. V. Tinto's 1975 research review concerning North American college dropouts is summarized, and…

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. Analyses showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence.…

This document was developed to (1) help clarify the various concepts of retention and attrition within a unifying conceptual framework, (2) synthesize the research on retention and attrition, and (3) examine the implications of the research for postsecondary administrators and researchers. Retention and attrition research pertains to both the…

Describes conceptual model that helps explain why students drop out of correspondence courses. Student background characteristics, organizational setting and the environment, attitudes about education, and course instruction are linked with behavioral intent and lesson submission activity to determine variables that influence completion of…

Examines changes in the characteristics and outcomes of school dropouts in Australia during the 1980s. Schools recruited more broadly among females during this period, which weakened the association between dropping out and social background. For males, social differences remained entrenched. Both genders experienced steep increases in…

Examines reasons for early school dropout among high school students and their plans to resume their education. Dropout data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 reveal various reasons for dropping out that include school-related, family-related, and job-related causes, as well as influences from peers and residential mobility.…

This literature review summarizes and analyzes the current literature on variables predicting high school dropping out and the relationship between those variables and language minority youth (defined as those who are national origin minorities by birth and who speak, in varying degrees, languages other than English). After the introduction, which…

This document combines a review of the literature on Hispanic high school dropouts and urban dropout prevention initiatives with an analysis of the findings of a study of the individual, family, school, and community characteristics of Hispanic ninth grade students in predominantly minority high schools in American cities. The study was designed…

This study used data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 and follow-up data collected in 1990, 1992, and 1994, to examine the characteristics and personal/educational factors related to gifted high school dropouts (n=3,520). Results indicate: (1) many gifted students left school because they were failing school, did not like…

This paper reviews research on best practices for preventing students with mild disabilities from dropping out of high school. Findings from the literature review indicate there is a consensus among the researchers that warning signs for school dropout among students with mild disabilities include: poor attendance, academic difficulties,…