Despite many responses to the dropout problem, it remains unclear which school strategies are successful with at-risk students. State initiatives are well intentioned, but have certain limitations. Criteria such as local accountability, school-by-school regeneration and reform, longitudinal strategies, and horizontal coordination are needed. This…

In 1982, the Boston Compact attempted to tackle student dropout employment problems. This paper reviews the process of this agreement made by local leaders, traces the creation of a communitywide plan to respond to Boston's school dropout problem, and summarizes Boston's Draft Dropout Prevention Reentry plan. (Author/LHW)

As an outgrowth of work to establish collaborative relations and to develop strategies for creating, monitoring, evaluating, and improving community programs, this planning guide has been developed to help Urban League chapters and others plan and implement programs for local needs. The guide is organized into the following nine steps: (1) build…

The school dropout rate is a problem which educators cannot solve alone. It will take a total societal effort to design solutions. This document presents the ideas and strategies discussed at a conference on dropout prevention attended by leaders of national education organizations. Theoretical as well as practical suggestions are given to begin…

ASPIRA is a community-based Hispanic American organization dedicated to improving the economic status of Hispanic Americans by reducing the high school dropout rate. ASPIRA uses the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic affinities of the Hispanic community to work with students through local clubs. The ASPIRA intervention process is based on awareness…

Responding to the high dropout rate in Providence, Rhode Island, public schools, community agencies, businesses, and teachers and administrators from the public schools joined together to form the Providence Dropout Prevention Collaborative. This document summarizes the study research, prevention plan, and implementation. The first chapter…

Efforts addressed at the pervasive school dropout problem in New York City received a boost in 1978 with the development of large scale, centrally initiated programs to reduce the number of high school dropouts. Based on the recommendations of two studies, the New York City Board of Education's Division of High Schools established outreach centers…

The National Center for Education Statistics reported that in 1992 approximately 4.5% of all high school students dropped out of grades 10 through 12, and 11% of all persons in the age group 16 through 24 had not completed high school and were not currently enrolled. The Communities in Schools (CIS) network is a web of local, state, and national…

Guidelines designed to help individual communities achieve the second National Education Goal are offered in this document. The goal states that by the year 2000, the high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent. Eight suggestions for creating successful dropout prevention efforts are discussed: start early; set high…

This resource guide provides information on programs that serve at risk students in the Dade County (Florida) Public Schools. For each program the following information is provided: (1) description; (2) number of schools served; (3) number of students served; and (4) budget. The following types of programs are included: (1) dropout retrieval; (2)…

The purpose of the Student Taught Adult Basic Literacy Efforts (STABLE) project was the involvement of adult illiterates, functional illiterates, and educational dropouts who do not take advantage of other educational and vocational training opportunities in basic education, using mature college students as teachers. Thirty students were trained…

In fall 1993, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) contracted with two community-based organizations to serve eligible AISD dropouts during the 1993-94 school year. The American Institute for Learning and Middle Earth Unlimited, Inc. provided services through the Creative Rapid Learning Center (CRLC) and the 78702 RAYS program,…

Effective systems of integrated, sequential, and systematic programming strategies at the state and local level are required to meet the needs of at-risk youth. The following six papers included in this compilation describe effective programs and practices that can be implemented in the local community, at the school district level, and in the…

Across the United States, innovative school-linked health and human service programs are being implemented to provide assistance to children and youth in high-risk contexts. The programs have sometimes been hampered by limited resources and isolation from other service providers. The development of collaborative programs promises to overcome some…

This report comprises papers that discuss how grassroots organizations, police involvement, and partnerships with local government and boards of education can prevent youth from criminal involvement through participation in productive and enjoyable work and activities. The following articles are included: (1) "Police Officers Can 'Prevent'…