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…

The first chapter of the literature review describes the Career Intern Program (CIP), a cooperative career education venture of the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America and two Philadelphia high schools, which is composed of three steps: career awareness (general orientation, development, motivation); career exploration (academic…

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…

In an effort to identify the kinds of vocational experiences that appear to be the most promising in reducing the dropout rate, two distinct research strategies were used. The first strategy involved analysis of data available from the High School and Beyond Project, a nationally representative sample of students and schools surveyed in 1980 (when…

The educational performance of 690 14 and 15 year old dropout prone students given limited labor market experience was evaluated in a mationwide study. The students worked 28 hours per week during the 1971-72 school year, which was found to be excessive. Working increased grade point averages up to a point, after which favorable impact declined or…

A program is reported for potential and actual high school dropouts that combines academic courses with work experience, and is designed to demonstrate the relationship between education and the world of work. Some of the objectives of the program were to test the feasibility of a joint educational approach of trade instructors and academic…

INCLUDED IS AN ANALYSIS OF A WORK-STUDY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM FOR POTENTIAL DROPOUTS FROM NEW YORK HIGH SCHOOLS. THE FINDINGS ARE BASED ON DATA AND INFORMATION GATHERED FROM MANY SOURCES, ALL OF WHICH ARE CONNECTED WITH THE PROGRAM. THE ATTEMPT IS TO PLACE POTENTIAL DROPOUTS IN PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT WITH EITHER PRIVATE EMPLOYERS OR WITH PUBLIC…

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 Detroit Job Upgrading Program assists high school aged boys and girls who have dropped out of school, or who are considered to be potential dropouts, to reenroll and to progress satisfactorily until graduation. Students are also prepared for gainful employment in the nation's work force. The program is geared toward helping such youths make a…

THE CURRICULUM WAS ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR POTENTIAL DROPOUTS. THE CURRICULUM BASE SHOULD RELATE TO THE REGULAR 10TH-GRADE CURRICULUM AND TO THE PUPIL'S ABILITY, TO THE END THAT HE MAY NOT BE SET APART FROM HIS PEER GROUP. THESE BOYS ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE. THEY HAVE SHORT ATTENTION SPANS AND APPEAR LAZY AND INDIFFERENT IN ORDER TO CONCEAL THEIR…

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG STUDENTS TO STAY IN SCHOOL UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND TO DEVELOP THOSE ATTITUDES, HABITS, AND SKILLS THAT PRODUCE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEES. THE PROGRAM IS AN ATTEMPT TO ASSIST STUDENTS ON THE JUNIOR HIGH AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. STUDENTS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE ATTEND…

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…

The report represents an abridged summary of a study which assessed secondary and postsecondary work education programs and suggested ways they might be modified or expanded. A stratified, random sample of 50 work-education sites was drawn for the study from a set of 500 representative programs. Specific occupational training, dropout prevention,…