In the last 20 years, Early School Leaving (ESL) in Portugal has registered a significant decrease. In order to understand the reasons for this trend towards improvement, this paper conducts an analysis of anti-ESL measures implemented in diverse educational institutions. The main objective is to understand how mainstream and alternative education…

In 2014-15, the high school graduation rate reached a record high of 83 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2016). Despite the gains, over half a million students still drop out of high school each year (U.S. Department of Education 2015). High schools have adopted various strategies designed to keep students who are at risk of not graduating in…

Interested in managing existing work-based learning schemes by incorporating monitoring and evaluation methods? Following a brief discussion of the concept of work-based learning, this handbook presents the rationale for monitoring and evaluation as part of good governance. The functioning of work-based learning schemes is represented by a process…

This guidebook presents a variety of dropout prevention strategies and is intended to help readers determine which strategies are best suited for a particular classroom, school, or district. The primary audience is school personnel who work with young adolescents. It begins by addressing major dropout issues, primary research findings, and…

This document provides information on a Full-Time Vocational Training Program (FTVTP), which is intended to keep students in school or allow dropouts to reenter in a vocational setting. The philosophy and purpose of the FTVTP are presented. The program's purpose is to enable dropouts to return to school in a full-day vocational program, be…

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with few exceptions, occupational specialization programs for male students first become available at the secondary level (grades 10-12). Education is not compulsory, and substantial numbers drop out at all levels. Adolescents who leave school at the primary (elementary) or intermediate (grades 7-9) level must wait…

This handbook describes a high school dropout prevention program that integrates academic education, vocational education, and a support system in order to provide students with multiple options for their future careers and personal lives. The following information is provided: the program's philosophy; major components (vocational education,…

This volume contains four interim reports of the Career Intern Program (CIP) replication portion of the Alternative Education Demonstration operated by Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America and evaluated by the National Institute of Education. (The CIP is an alternative high school serving dropouts and students at a high risk of…

A model program for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students at risk of dropping out was established through the enhancement of existing programs and classes at Corpus Christi Independent School District. The model combined and coordinated components of vocational education, alternatives to social promotion, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)…

High school academies are three-year schools-within-schools offering economically disadvantaged students an integrated academic-vocational education, career development and enrichment activities, and nonacademic supports and employment opportunities. The academies represent a many-faceted approach to linking business and industry with schools,…

This module, the first in a three-volume series, deals with dropout prevention, and is organized in two parts: a trainer's manual and a participant's resource manual. It is designed for inservice training of teachers, counselors, and administrators in vocational schools. Addressed in the individual chapters of the trainer's module are the…

The exemplary high school dropout prevention programs funded by the federal Vocational Education Cooperative Demonstration Program that are profiled in this document reveal several elements necessary for success in an enhanced vocational education program: (1) highly qualified and emotionally stable staff; (2) curriculum and instruction that…

This manual was developed to provide training for professional and paraprofessional staff to support at-risk youth. The manual is organized in 14 sections that include the following topics: educational, cultural, and/or social problems; the identification process; the referral process; counseling strategies and techniques; alternative…

The Shawnee High School/Detrick Vocational Center and Fairdale High School/Fairdale Vocational Center Academic/Vocational Projects are pilot programs designed to integrate academic and vocational studies in two Kentucky schools. In this project, students take their basic subjects at their high school and explore the vocational programs at the…

With the aid of single parent grant money, the Highlands County (Florida) School Board surveyed the needs of adolescent single parents in three high schools and three middle schools. Dropout students also were contacted. Survey results identified the barriers to adolescent single parents obtaining marketable skills. The need for occupational…