In the last 20 years, Early School Leaving (ESL) in Portugal has registered a significant decrease. In order to understand the reasons for this trend towards improvement, this paper conducts an analysis of anti-ESL measures implemented in diverse educational institutions. The main objective is to understand how mainstream and alternative education…

The quality of a school's social environment is critically related to student outcomes, including academic performance, attendance, student behavior, and high school completion rates. New Hampshire engaged in a dropout prevention initiative between 2006 and 2012 that focused on implementation of the multitiered Positive Behavioral Interventions…

For more than 20 years, the efficacy of using the wraparound approach to support high-risk youth has been examined in educational and community settings. Few studies show the value of wraparound service from either a school- or community-based agency as a dropout prevention strategy. Findings from a federal research grant project suggest that many…

This guide was designed to help local educators develop and implement a comprehensive program to support pregnant and parenting teenagers and assure them access to the resources and models they need to complete their education. Section I includes an overview of the demands faced by these young people and reviews the available research on…

This paper is one component of a collaborative research project being conducted by the National Commission for Employment Policy to explore the education, training, and employment issues that affect at-risk youth, aged 9-15 years old. The paper begins with a description of the dropout problem in the United States, noting that although the dropout…

The 70001 Training & Employment Institute is currently designing a new dropout prevention program for public schools, the Work, Achievement, and Values in Education (WAVE) project. WAVE exercises will be competency based, helping demonstrate concrete learning gains and emphasizing experiential learning activities and sensitivity to local…

With the aid of single parent grant money, the Highlands County (Florida) School Board surveyed the needs of adolescent single parents in three high schools and three middle schools. Dropout students also were contacted. Survey results identified the barriers to adolescent single parents obtaining marketable skills. The need for occupational…

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…

This guide contains advice for staff in colleges that are offering elements of the Youth Opportunities Program (YOP). Designed to enhance the employability of 16-18 year olds who have left school, have not enrolled in further education classes, and who are unemployed, the YOP provides work experience, knowledge and skills relevant to local labor…

Now that basic skills have been linked to the economic prosperity of the country, businesses have become concerned about improving the basic skills of young people. A promising approach is the Summer Reporter Project conducted in Wisconsin as part of the summer programs of the Job Training Partnership Act. The program has three main elements: (1)…

Project HAND-UP (Helping Adolescents Needing Direction-Unlimited Partnership) was a 2-year program to enhance dropout prevention services to at-risk youth by establishing a closer linkage between Job Training Partnership (JTPA)-Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education's Occupational Work Adjustment (OWA) programs. The project's major activities…

The Salvation Army Brunswick (Australia) Job Placement and Training (JPET) project was first established as a recreational project for connecting workers with young people, but it grew to address the educational needs of at-risk youth. Staff working in the program follow a non-conflict, adult education model, emphasizing the development of a…

This manual describes the PACT (Parent and Community Team) for School Success concept, which was developed from insights and techniques gained from three dropout and intervention projects with high-risk junior high school youth and families. PACT focuses on ways to initiate and maintain a group that meets frequently to create ongoing cohesive…

Results are reported from 12 on-site visits and from mailed questionnaire returns regarding the continuing effects of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title IV-C, Innovative Exemplary Program, on education in Kansas. At each district visited, information was obtained, and verified when possible, regarding the changes resulting from…

JOBSTART, a federally funded demonstration program, offered basic education, occupational skills training, support services, and job placement assistance to young school dropouts. A study of the impacts of JOBSTART was designed to separate effects of the program from events attributable to other factors. A total of 2,312 people eligible for…