Estimates of the current national dropout rate during grades 9-12 ranged between 25 percent and 30 percent. Studies were undertaken to determine the characteristics of dropouts; the consequences of dropping out of school; and associations between dropping out and specific curricula, including the occupational curriculum. Because of methodological…

This ERIC digest examines the extent of early school leaving among migrants, conditions that precede early school leaving, common features of programs that work to retrieve dropouts, and illustrative programs that exhibit these features. The Migrant Attrition Project estimates a 45% national dropout rate of migrant students. Conditions that lead…

This evaluation of the 1989-90 BRIDGE Project, a dropout prevention program in Hartford (Connecticut), found that grade 9 students felt a heightened sense of control over their lives after one year in the program. BRIDGE is a multifaceted program that focuses on reducing the disengagement of at-risk students facing the critical transition from…

The at-risk students served by vocational education include academically disadvantaged students, dropouts, students with limited English proficiency (LEP), pregnant teens, single parents, migrants, economically disadvantaged students, handicapped students, and potential dropouts. The claim that the U.S. economy is healthy because unemployment is…

The follow-up component of the Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) program tracked the 127 students who graduated from 1988, 1989, and 1990 Henderson State University YOU programs throughout July 1989-June 1991. Students were contacted on a monthly basis through phone calls, school counselor contacts, letters, and newsletters. Findings indicated…

The follow-up component of the Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) program tracked students who graduated from YOU programs. Each participating university--Arkansas State, Henderson State, Southern Arkansas, University of Arkansas-Monticello, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and University of the Ozarks--maintained contact with its own…

This paper describes programs for high risk students in the St. James R-1 (rural) School District in Missouri. The participants, staff, procedures, and effectiveness are briefly discussed for each program. Programs at the elementary level include: (1) an intervention program for K-2 students identified through screening; (2) a prescription…

Recent studies showing the need for improvements in the educational system in the United States have resulted in strengthening of academic requirements, upgrading of standards for promotion, and increased course loads in high schools throughout the country. Pennsylvania is no exception to this trend; the passage of Chapter 5 legislation, which…

This revised guide is designed to help school administrators, teachers, and counselors operate and improve their continuation programs and develop a school program based on the Model Curriculum Standards, Grades 9 through 12 and Raising Expectations: Model Graduation Requirements. It references up-to-date legal and technical information and…