Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) is an independent, non-profit organization with a vision for schools that work for all children. It partnered with Coca-Cola in 1984 and began a dropout prevention program just as it was conducting the first comprehensive study of school dropouts in Texas. Its annual studies since then have…

This report explores two questions: (1) What can be done to recover and reconnect young people to opportunities for building useful lives in work, family, and citizenship? and (2) Who is doing what, and where, to reengage out-of-school youth while working to strengthen the communities in which they live? Focusing on the positive, the American…

This bibliography update contains information on dropout attitudes, prevention, programs, rates, and research, as well as school-holding power at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Citations include conference papers, program descriptions, research reports, and statistical materials. Materials for inclusion in this bibliography were located…

High school dropouts are usually academic underachievers who adjust to social environments with difficulty. When they leave school, they develop even greater behavior problems and have more trouble getting employment than do high school graduates. To prevent dropouts, schools try to find funds for dropout prevention programs, work with agencies…

A study assessed the impact of the Career Intern Program (CIP) on participating students. (The CIP is an alternative high school designed to enable disadvantaged and alienated dropouts or potential dropouts to earn regular high school diplomas, to prepare them for meaningful employment or postsecondary education, and to facilitate their transition…

Suggests that college administrators redirect their attention from studying attrition rates to enacting retention strategies based on responding to student needs and providing a more meaningful educational experience. Several studies dealing with the development of retention programs are reviewed. (JAC)

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities will begin testing a comprehensive project to reverse the low educational attainment of Hispanic students in Texas. The project aims to increase high-school graduation, raise college-going rate, increase graduation rate of college students, and raise transfer rates of community college…

Higher standards in public schools have made it necessary for educational reformers to identify at-risk students and to develop effective programs for preventing their failure. This pamphlet begins by delineating the characteristics of at-risk students and discussing evaluation instruments that are useful for identifying such students. Successful…

The project described in this report was piloted at Florida Community College during fall 1985 to review policies and practices that can facilitate the retention of students, to propose a system of data collection and dissemination designed to provide routine, useful information about the retention of students, and to establish communications…

Reviews the literature related to student attrition and retention. Discusses findings from a survey of community college students who withdrew from developmental courses, to determine their reasons for leaving. Describes intervention programs that were subsequently developed, including telephone intervention, mentoring, and skills enhancement…

The 1996 RETAIN (Retention in Education for Today's American Indian Nations) Conference addressed the low number of Native Americans enrolled in higher education and highlighted successful Native American retention and academic support models. Lists important features in a college program and questions that students should ask about college…

This volume contains descriptions of programs for student success and retention at 68 state colleges and universities in the United States. Each institution is a participant in the National Retention Project, a research-based project working within broader campus cultures that are committed to providing access and success to students traditionally…

In an effort to increase retention rates among nursing assistant program students, an open-entry/open-exit competency-based individualized program was implemented in 1990 at a small vocational skills center serving low-socioeconomic adult students. This change was instituted in response to a growing drop-out rate and to difficulties expressed by…

This report discusses the proposed Grad*Star Program (a Women's Educational Equity Act Program) to deal with the extremely serious dropout program in Northern Kentucky. Housed at the University of Kentucky, it examines such factors as poor economic conditions, large numbers of women and households headed by women that exist below the poverty…

The curriculum extension program (CEP) of the Shell Science Centre provided group tutoring to small groups of secondary school pupils using qualified teachers. This evaluation report presents articles discussing various aspects of the program and its effectiveness. The first article by A. Ziervogel provides a review of the program. The following…