The Open Studio Project (OSP) is a nonprofit arts and social service organization. This report presents the OSP process as a model of social action. It describes how the model was implemented in a particular community to address a need for arts programs for at risk youth. "Art & Action," an outreach program of OSP, became a unique year round after…

The Center for the Study and Teaching of At-Risk Students (C-STARS) is a demonstration and validation program which addresses the needs of at-risk children. This model is school referenced, yet designed to enhance the ability of educators to take into account non-school factors which impinge on their ability to provide adequate educational…

The Boulder Valley (Colorado) Teen Parenting Program is designed to meet the educational and vocational needs of pregnant or parenting adolescents. It focuses on the following goals: (1) decreasing the dropout rate of teen parents; (2) improving the health and well-being of children born to teen parents; (3) decreasing repeat pregnancies of teen…

The Saturday School Alternative for at-risk students provides educators with a realistic framework, time, and community resources to help resolve almost any student problem encountered. Based on effective schools research, the program is no panacea but a realistic attempt to modify student behavior by providing experiences that will build a…

Describes how the interprofessional case management model developed by the Center for the Study and Teaching of At-Risk Students (C-STARS) positively influences student performance. Evaluation data and a case study show the model's uses. Principles learned from the model's application are identified, and recommendations for practitioners about…

A collaborative, grass-roots partnership focusing on students at risk for educational failure has been developed by the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Anchorage (Alaska) School District. The effort is distinguished by a perception of common ground, a minimal administrative and financial structure, and a high degree of commitment from…

In 1993, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation to encourage schools to implement extended services to meet the needs of students, giving at-risk students first priority. In this manual, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction explains how extended services can be implemented at the school level. It identifies and…

There is little research on English language learners (ELLs) in relation to learning disability (LD) assessment and identification. More important, there is a scarcity of research on models and strategies that enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for ELLs prior to an LD diagnosis. We describe in this article an innovative language…

With funding from the Keep America Working Project, the West Hills Community College (WHCC) District initiated efforts to establish a rural vocational/technical education curriculum partnership between the college and the major unified school districts in its service area. The project focused on improving the competencies of high-risk students,…

The 27 school reform models presented in this publication have been supported, at some time in their development and dissemination, by the National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department Education. As part of its mission, the Institute supports the development of…

Emerging Literacy Technology Curriculum (ELiTeC 2, [referred to as E2 in this report]), housed at the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood at Western Illinois University, was funded in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) as a 3-year Phase 3 Steppingstones of Technology Research on…

The AIM (Academic Intervention Model) program was designed to promote success for at-risk middle school students within a general education setting, through collaborative efforts between general and special education staff. This paper describes types of services offered, personnel preparation, program outcomes, and implementation suggestions. (JDD)

This book contains 46 summaries of positive findings from youth interventions based on 64 evaluations. Each of the summaries follows an outline that includes these components: an overview, population information, evidence of effectiveness, key components, contributing factors, study methodology, geographic areas, and contact information (plus a…

This manual is designed to assist California school personnel to respond to the increasing diversity in student populations, with a change process based on principles of shared leadership through a decentralized site-based management method. The organization change model utilized by the pilot schools is the California Local Education Reform…

This paper is one component of a collaborative research project being conducted by the National Commission for Employment Policy to explore the education, training, and employment issues that affect at-risk youth, aged 9-15 years old. The paper begins with a description of the dropout problem in the United States, noting that although the dropout…