Discusses high school dropout rate, the reasons students give for dropping out, and the economic value of the General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Describes efforts to prevent dropouts among at-risk students or to offer dropouts another chance to succeed in school such as the Champion Charter School in Brockton, Massachusetts. (PKP)

In the Rockland, Massachusetts, Adult High School Diploma Program, nearly 400 adults are being given credit for the skills, knowledge, and talents they have acquired in the nonschool world. (Author)

Binghampton (New York) Schools begin their dropout prevention efforts even before children are born--as early as the third trimester of pregnancy. One intervention program is PACT (Parents and Children Together), which helps parents become better "first teachers." The program's success derives from parents' effectiveness as teachers and…

While others form committees, do research, and write legislation to address the appalling Hispanic dropout problem, Joe Sandoval, principal of Denver's North High School, performs search-and-rescue missions to reclaim missing students. Recognizing economic realities, he and his staff visit students' homes with offers of academic help, flexible…

A high school equivalency program held in a Baltimore, Maryland, housing project reported that last year 67 percent of the women who took the test passed it. Key components are computer-assisted instruction and computer monitoring of the womens' progress. Strategies for setting up such a program are offered. (MLF)

It's up to school board members to communicate they want schools to improve academic scores and standards while increasing their holding power. Outlines ways superintendents can act to reinforce such policy. (MD)

Describes how three Colorado school systems joined together and set up a dropout prevention commission that used a seven-step approach to work at reducing student dropout rates. (MD)