Background: Education plays a pivotal role in empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for careers, economic progress, and societal engagement. Dropping out of school before achieving a qualification undermines these opportunities and has an impact on individuals and society (Audit Commission, 2010; OECD, 2023). International…

About one in four students who enter high school will not graduate. Numerous dropout-prevention programs have been implemented nationwide in the past decade to increase the high school graduation rate. This growth in programs has made it more difficult for educators to determine the effectiveness of the many alternatives. This guide is designed to…

The PAISC program provides support to schools enabling them to successfully implement discipline and early intervention dropout prevention programs. Selected characteristics of 15 sites in which the PAISC program has been implemented are described. This report details the way in which staff divided its time between implementing the components that…

Projects Return constitutes an attempt by the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools to bring school dropouts back into the school system. During 1986-87, Project Return handled 123 percent more referrals than during 1985-86, the project's first year; the actual figures were 1,091 and 489, respectively. Economically disadvantaged youth make up a large…

The data for this report on school dropouts in New York City were collected by means of in-depth interviews with high school staff members, students, and dropouts. A total of 229 persons were interviewed in 53 high schools with dropout prevention programs distributed throughout the city. All respondents were asked approximately 50 open-ended…

Although each of the 11 programs evaluated in this report during the 1989-90 school year had its own unique design and objectives, their common goal was to increase the likelihood that at-risk students in Cleveland (Ohio) schools would complete their high school education. Programs were evaluated in terms of changes from the previous year in the…

The Atlanta (Georgia) Partnership of Business and Education, a private nonprofit corporation, is an umbrella organization that coordinates a range of activities aimed at strengthening education in Atlanta's public schools. There are over 300 business members of the partnership, and a wide range of affiliated civic, educational, and religious…

Outcomes of the Performance-Based Diploma (BPD) Program, a program implemented at a high school in the southeast United States, are described in this paper. The basic elements for success are people, program design, and product. Staff function on the belief that teachers exist to meet students' needs. The program includes the following components:…

This summary reports the key findings of a multi-year evaluation of the Cities in Schools (CIS) program, a school-based intervention for at-risk youth. Cities in Schools Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that provides training and technical assistance to promote replication of the CIS dropout prevention process in communities and schools. The…

This synopsis presents the key findings from a multi-year evaluation of the Cities in Schools (CIS) program, a school-based intervention for at-risk youth. Cities in Schools, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that provides training and technical assistance to promote replication of the CIS dropout prevention process in communities and schools. The…

This directory of social programs that focus on the African-American male lists 145 programs grouped by state. Information for each program includes the sponsoring organization and contact person and a brief description of program goals and the target population. The programs deal with a variety of issues, but there is an emphasis on sex education…

This manual details the fundamental steps necessary to create a successful tutoring program. It is based on the experiences of the Anderson (South Carolina) School District One (ASDO) in their tutoring project initiated in 1989-90. The school district intended to increase homework completion, raise test scores, improve attendance, and generate…

The Valued Youth Partnership of San Antonio (VYP) has been dramatically successful in improving educational opportunities for the highest risk students. In school districts with dropout rates of over 40%, the highest risk students over a 4-year period averaged dropout rates of 2.5%. This booklet provides program results for VYP for the period 1984…

The Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) reviews the effectiveness of many of the school district's special programs. In 1992-93, ORE reviewed 60 programs or program components. Cost effectiveness was calculated for 31 programs, using an achievement effect measure for 10, a dropout…

The DELTA program of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) is an open-entry, open-exit competency-based diploma program in 10 high schools that is designed to help recover former dropouts and to prevent students who are at risk from dropping out. Instruction in the program is individualized and self-paced, but goals for the DELTA…