The number of students choosing to drop out of school before earning their high school diploma continues to rise at alarming numbers. These students cause educators to question what strategies can assist struggling learners with academic, behavioral, or health issues to increase their chances of completing high school. Many dropout prevention…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined an alternative learning program in a large urban school district in the midwestern United States. The goal of the project was to determine if the specific alternative learning program could have a positive effect on student motivation, goal orientation, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Research…

This report provides an overview of the operation of two innovative New York City dropout prevention programs, the Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention Program (AIDP) and the Dropout Prevention Program (DPP). First, basic program components, required and site-specific, are described briefly. Each program site must provide these…

The Operation Rescue project was designed to develop a classroom setting for the delivery of comprehensive educational services to "at risk" young adolescents. The classroom was established as part of the pre-existing Jonesboro Alternative School, and it utilized the basic academic and social program developed by this entity over 12…

The costly supplemental or alternative programs that combat chronic school failure and continued high dropout rates are not always effective for the following reasons: (1) students do not always find out which programs are available, and (2) if no suitable program is available, there is usually no one responsible for trying to create one. People…

Of the 110 public high schools in New York City, 11 are alternative high schools serving students who have been identified as "high risk," particularly dropouts and potential dropouts, as well as students who would benefit from learning environments and options not offered in comprehensive high schools. In 1984, the Curriculum…

The goal of the FOCUS project is the development and implementation of an alternative school program for high school students which will provide relevant opportunities for student growth, both personal and academic, and thereby reduce the number of dropouts, academic failures, and pupil indifference and disenchantment. Part I of the document deals…

This paper consists of 13 chapters that describe a study of the effects of training in conflict resolution and cooperative learning in an alternative high school in New York City. Three of the school's four campuses participated, with Campus A receiving conflict resolution training, Campus C receiving cooperative and Campus B receiving training in…

Designed as an alternative program to reduce absenteeism in four high schools in the Bronx, a career education and academic upgrading experiment placed sixty ninth graders in a special area of Bronx Community College. The students, recruited from among disadvantaged potential dropouts (mostly blacks and Hispanics), attended half-day sessions at…

This study evaluated the training in conflict resolution (CR) and cooperative learning (CL) of about 180 students in an alternative high school (AHS) in New York City. The qualitative methodology included direct observations of students' daily routines, systematic observations of special events, and interviews with key faculty and staff members.…

In the fall of 1985, 10 academy programs were established by the State of California as replications of the Peninsula Academies already operating in a local school district for four years. An academy is a modified high school program with the following specific elements, among others: (1) students with academic potential who are at risk of…

The Peninsula Academies program operates two schools within schools, the electronics academy and the computer academy, in a three-year high school program for disadvantaged students labeled as potential dropouts in San Mateo County, California. A review of the performance of the Peninsula Academies program during its second year of operation…

This paper is a summary report of a study of the effects of training in conflict resolution and cooperative learning in an alternative high school in New York City. Three of the school's four campuses participated, with Campus A receiving conflict resolution training, Campus C receiving cooperative learning training, and Campus B receiving…

The Peninsula Academies is a three-year high school program for at-risk students, designed to provide them with incentives both to graduate and to acquire labor market-relevant skills. An academy combines academic and technical training in a school-within-a-school setting, and is based on school-business partnerships. In the fall of 1985, 10…

This guide is based on the experiences and procedures generated in the FOCUS Project at a Portland, Oregon high school. The document includes an overview which addresses the basic FOCUS philosophy, overall goals and objectives, staffing, and student audience. The instruction section contains the curriculum model, cross peer instruction, utilizing…