This manual provides a synthesis of research-based dropout prevention and intervention and offers examples of interventions that show evidence of effectiveness. This has proven to be a difficult task because the intervention research on dropout and school completion that can be used to inform practice is incomplete (Dynarski & Gleason, 2002;…

America's high schools play an integral role in preparing students for college and work in the 21st century. High school success is more important than ever for the health of our economy, for civic life, and to ensure equal opportunity. Unfortunately, the quality of state high school graduation and dropout data is such that most states cannot…

This study tabulated U.S. Census Bureau survey data to track changes in the educational profile of the adult foreign-born population from 1970-2000. The data measured completed education for individuals over the age of 24 years. A comparison of native-born Americans of any race or ethnicity to Hispanic foreign-born adults from 1970-2000 showed a…

Along with assessing the value of a program, evaluations should aid in decision making, support change management, and improve processes. For an evaluation to effect change, three conditions should occur: informing, collaborating, and mixing. The evaluation of a Wheaton College (Massachusetts) graduation requirement that students complete a…

To graduate from High School in the state of Texas students must pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Many states are beginning to administer state exams as requirements for graduation. Schools continue to fall short of the basic philosophy of Existentialism that emphasizes, "starting where the student is".…

This study explored the phenomenon of dropping out of high school from the perspective of those who strayed. The voices of four recent dropouts were audiotaped and examined through an interpretive ecological lens designed to explore dropping out within the context of the school community. Informants were asked to describe their school histories,…

This document contains numerical data about the transfer/graduation rates for students in community college in the State of Maryland. Enclosed are three sets of tables that present the community college transfer/graduation rates for the following groups: (1) Full-time freshmen in the entering class of 2001 two years after matriculation; (2)…

In Swindon, England, students who are leaving school to find jobs must compile a Record of Personal Achievement", listing things they are proud of having done; the record is used in employment interviews. (SP)

Reviews the history of college entrance requirements. The Carnegie Foundation was the first organization to develop definite educational standards, to define a high school, and to separate high school from college curricula. (WD)

Critizes the Norm Book for French Final (Abitur) Examination 1975 for German Schools, as to its arrangement and some resulting difficulties; also for its over-emphasis on written work over speaking. Additional publications are needed to make the existing requirements more specific. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Studied the extent to which the requirement that students complete three credits in mathematics and science was implemented in schools using a nationally representative sample from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1998. Evidence indicates that schools do not strictly enforce this policy. Increasing the number of credits students earn…

Analyzed common factors among 18- and 19-year-old Hispanic students enrolled in the Virginia Migrant Education Program who earned a high school diploma, compared with those who did not. Migrant students who live with their parents and/or extended family have a greater chance of completing high school than those who do not. (Contains 43 references…

First-year students completed surveys on their study habits and grade predictions, which were compared to final course grades and retention, and then to enrollment status and cumulative grade point average (GPA) 8 years later. Found that graduates earned higher course grades and higher cumulative GPAs and more accurately predicted their course…

Study explores high school completion among African Americans. Students completed a theory of planned behavior questionnaire early in their 2nd year. Intentions to complete the year were accurately predicted from attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Intentions and, to a lesser extent, perceived behavioral control,…

Asserts that high school graduation rates have fallen since 1969, but decline is masked by increase in General Educational Development (GED) certificates. Provides two explanations for fallen graduation rates and the degree ratio: States have made it easier for students to obtain GED certificates; some students are unable to pass state-mandated,…