This paper examines available information on early identification of students at risk of prematurely dropping out of school. Many factors such as drug use, lowered educational achievement, delinquency, and unemployment appear to be consequences of dropping out, yet cause and effect is often difficult to define. A variety of school related,…

In light of the fact that students at risk of dropping out of school have become the focus of national attention, this paper examines one alternative program designed to work with a population considered to be at very high risk for dropping out. The population served by the School-Community Guidance Center (SCGC) in the Austin (Texas) Independent…

Across Canada almost 40 percent of youth drop out and do not finish high school. Young people feel they can drop out of school and find a job tomorrow that will pay them enough so they can continue the lifestyle to which they are accustomed. However, unemployment rates for individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are high. There are people who…

This document describes an innovative dropout prevention program, Academic Support for Students and Employment Training (Project ASSET). It explains how participants were selected from students considered to be dropout risks because of attendance, grade-level test results, or dropout history and extenuating circumstances. Three types of support…

This paper describes a study of an alternative, innovative high school designed to serve at-risk students and dropouts returning to public school. The PRIDE (Positive Responsible Individuals Desiring Education) Center, located in San Marcos (Texas) Consolidated Independent School District, opened in September 1989. The center's program includes…

To combat their school dropout problems, Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools created an alternative high school for marginal and high risk students attending conventional high schools and for students who had already dropped out. Classes at North Education Center were scheduled from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and featured year-round, 42-day terms to…

As the 21st century rapidly approaches, America will be directly confronted with the reality that its nationwide public education system has failed to adequately and accurately train its future generation of citizens. Socioeconomic status and race have been implicated as the two biggest factors related to dropping out. Current researchers have…

The national dropout rate has remained at about 20% for the last decade. However, disparities in the definition of dropouts and in data collection have caused national dropout figures to vary. Researchers agree that students from areas of large minority populations with fewer English-speaking students, and those living in poverty are at risk of…

Many potential dropouts have problems coping with the formal and impersonal structure of most high schools. In response to this, an effort was made to create an alternative, more supportive, organizational structure featuring participative management in the Louisiana State Youth Opportunities Unlimited (LSYOU) program. Program teachers, tutors,…

A concerted effort to pool resources and coordinate work by federal, state, and local educational agencies will be necessary to overcome the fragmentation that is occurring due to the current climate of changing demographics, increasing illiteracy, and the social effects of minorities in our schools. California has shown major changes in the…

A study assessed the effectiveness of various ways of identifying at-risk middle school students for participation in a dropout prevention program. It was considered important to explore factors related to identifying students who were most in need of the program. During the first semester of the project, teacher recommendations, attendance, age,…

The Special Needs Unit of the Career-Vocational Education Division, California State Department of Education, began sponsoring a secondary school project in 1985 to combat California's high dropout rate. Eight secondary school sites in six districts were selected to develop schoolwide, integrated, career-oriented curriculum that would use the…

This paper describes a dropout prevention, residential summer program on university campuses in Arkansas. The Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) progam began in 1988 at Henderson State University and by 1990 five Arkansas universities hosted programs. Funds for the program are provided through state agencies, the universities, vocational funds,…

This paper discusses the evaluation of 4 of the 12 project sites that are participating in a U.S. Department of Education demonstration program to implement dropout prevention or reentry models that include vocational education as the key intervention strategy. The evaluation study includes the following: (1) identification of factors that affect…

This study evaluated a career education program for 141 ninth grade students at Kemper County High School in rural Mississippi in an effort to reduce the dropout rate and increase career awareness. A mental health counselor gave students monthly instruction on career issues necessary for vocational life after high school graduation. A local…