In 2009 the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) published "Charter School Success or Selective Out-Migration of Low-Achievers? The Effects of Enrollment Management on Student Achievement." The report profiles Boston's high-performing charter high schools and middle schools and calculates attrition rates for individual schools…

Today's society is global, multicultural, multilingual, and digitally connected. Learning no longer occurs just in the classroom, delivered by teachers. At the same time, research has repeatedly shown that no single strategy or approach will turn around low-performing schools and reengage students. As a result, districts and schools are reaching…

This report explores two questions: (1) What can be done to recover and reconnect young people to opportunities for building useful lives in work, family, and citizenship? and (2) Who is doing what, and where, to reengage out-of-school youth while working to strengthen the communities in which they live? Focusing on the positive, the American…

The phenomenon of student attrition is an increasingly challenging problem confronting American higher education. Unfortunately, there exists virtually no consensus on root causes; and disagreements continue over what intervention strategies might help to reduce the rates with which young collegians abandon their studies and leave campus. Data…

In the issue-attention cycle identified by political scientists, the imagination and energy of public leaders progress from alarmed discovery of a problem, to euphoric resource mobilization and a search for solutions, to institutionalization of responses. Next come the harsh realities of expensive answers and slow progress, causing a hasty retreat…

Discusses the high school dropout problem, focusing on young people's reasons for leaving school and schools' efforts to retain them. Recommends more effective primary education, computer programs to identify youth at risk, and coalitions of schools, businesses, and government agencies to pair learning and work experience. Cites 15 references.…

"Check & Connect" is a dropout prevention strategy that relies on close monitoring of school performance, as well as mentoring, case management, and other supports. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed six studies on "Check & Connect" that were designed to assess the program's effectiveness. Four of these studies…

Understanding why students drop out is important in developing effective dropout prevention strategies. Traditional research has focused on high school dropouts; recent interest uses a developmental approach and examines possibilities for earlier intervention. Each section of this report analyzes dropout prevention at the preschool, elementary,…

Both financial and personal losses occur for students dropping out of higher education. Intervention programs designed to reduce student attrition have been suggested, and it is important to consider the extent to which these strategies can be effectively implemented. (MSE)

Reports that anecdotal evidence and studies by individual institutions suggest that course completion and program retention rates are generally lower in distance education courses than in their face-to-face counterparts. Suggests some of the causes may be that distance students are often older, have more obligations, or that lack of face-to-face…

Strategies for reducing by one-half the school dropout rate in the southern United States are presented in this report. Sixteen recommendations made by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) are discussed. These involve the following general areas: setting local goals, focusing on student outcomes, improving the reporting system, and…

The Take Advantage Now/Parent Education Project (TAN/PEP) is based on the knowledge that college students need their parents' help for academic success. The program was developed at Brooklyn College to offer education, support, and counseling for parents and guardians of entering freshmen who have been accepted in a program known as Search,…

Accomplishments of St. Mary's University Student Retention Task Force are addressed. After reviewing the literature on the correlates of retention and approaches to improving student retention, statistical results of the 1982 administration of the Student Opinion Survey of the American College Testing program are provided. This survey explores…

This report identifies the nature and extent of the dropout problem nationally and its extent and cause at the Kansas City, Missouri, Vocational-Technical (Vo-Tech) Center. Section One, an examination of the national dropout problem, is an extensive literature review. Deficiencies in secondary vocational programs are investigated. Suggestions to…

The School District of the City of Saginaw (Michigan) has annually reported on the rate and nature of the dropout population; this dropout report is the fourth edition of the State defined generation of dropout reports. Two hundred twenty-four, or 8% of Saginaw's 2,805 students in grades 9-12, voluntarily terminated their high school education…