Based on surveys of 125 school trustees and administrators and 186 student dropouts and truants in California, this guidebook examines the causes of student attendance problems, discusses guidelines and ideas for programs to combat these problems, and presents exemplary programs in three California school districts. A profile of a hypothetical…

This study examined characteristics of programs in which students were enrolled to determine which activities were most effective in dealing with dropouts. The study attempted to validate program components that have previously been associated with retentive capacity. Seventy-six exemplary programs for dropouts were selected to participate in the…

A study assessed the effectiveness of various ways of identifying at-risk middle school students for participation in a dropout prevention program. It was considered important to explore factors related to identifying students who were most in need of the program. During the first semester of the project, teacher recommendations, attendance, age,…

This paper discusses the evaluation of 4 of the 12 project sites that are participating in a U.S. Department of Education demonstration program to implement dropout prevention or reentry models that include vocational education as the key intervention strategy. The evaluation study includes the following: (1) identification of factors that affect…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) obtained federal grant funds for a school dropout demonstration assistance program, which began operating in 1988-89 as Project GRAD (Grant Research About Dropouts). Project components included the following: (1) piloting the use of dropout intervention specialists at 10 high schools; (2)…

The JOBSTART demonstration program provided education and vocational training, support services, and job placement assistance to educationally disadvantaged dropouts aged 17-21 at 13 sites. An evaluation assessed whether helping disadvantaged dropouts increase their educational attainment led to increased earnings. A total of 2,312 people were…

Effective schools provide at-risk students with a community of support that encourages school membership and educational engagement. This study describes effective dropout prevention programs, develops a generalizable, theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between at-risk students and their schools, and suggests local and state…

The JOBSTART demonstration program addresses the employability problems of school dropouts by testing a program of basic education, occupational skills training, support services, and job placement assistance for young, economically disadvantaged dropouts who read below the eighth-grade level. The program is being offered at 13 diverse sites,…

The New Chance Demonstration, which operated at 16 locations in 10 states in 1989-1992, offered comprehensive education, training, and assistance to teenage mothers who had dropped out of high school. The demonstration, which was designed to increase the young mothers' well-being and long-term self-sufficiency, was subjected to an interim…

The document is the final report for fiscal year 1974-75 of a rural adult secondary education demonstration project sponsored by the regional agency, Top of Alabama Regional Education Service Agency (TARESA), serving five northeastern Alabama counties. Program features include the use of educational television on a statewide basis and the…

New Chance was designed as a research and demonstration program to improve the economic status and general well-being of highly disadvantaged young women and their children. The program was directed toward mothers aged 16 to 22 who were high school dropouts and receiving welfare. Sixteen sites in 10 states that had some prior experience in serving…

The purpose of the project reported on and evaluated in the document is to develop new approaches in Adult Basic Education to motivate undereducated, alienated, and disadvantaged American Indian adults. The project is located in central Arizona, serving a population of about 8,000. High school-dropout rates, unemployment, alcoholism, and health…