Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), standardized test scores are the indicator used to hold schools and school districts accountable for student achievement. Each state is responsible for constructing an accountability system, attaching consequences--or stakes--for student performance. The theory of action implied by this…

Attrition is a consistent feature of higher education--only about half the students who start college will ever receive a degree. The attrition rates of African-American students is even higher than that of their white counterparts. Attrition in general, and especially that of high risk students, is of great concern to university administrators…

Supportive school settings linking Native culture, history, and language with academic, social, and community programs, and educational experiences that integrate Native life into meaningful academic, social, and personal living skills programs should give Native students greater understanding of their own identity and more success in school and…

Describes the PRIDE Program, a partnership between the Harrisburg School District (Pennsylvania) and Bloomsburg University to provide urban, poverty-level sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students at risk of dropping out with an opportunity to spend a week on campus each summer. Program evaluation shows improved student attitudes and…

The Rhode Island Children's Crusade for Higher Education, funded by state and private sources, is an ambitious, large-scale, long-term effort to prevent dropouts, illegal drug use, and pregnancy among low-income and minority groups. Recruitment of volunteer "mentors" has been highly successful, suggesting strong public support. (MSE)

Colorado's Second Chance Pilot Program allows dropouts to return to designated Second Chance centers to complete requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. The high degree of satisfaction of students at Second Chance centers, and the waiting lists for enrollment demonstrate the potential for recovering dropouts. (SLD)

Shares the reflections on school atmosphere of two high school dropouts who returned to a public alternative school and went on to college. Common themes include student dissatisfaction with traditional high school and middle school, and their positive responses to the support and engagement found in the alternative school. (SLD)

In contrast to persistent "culture of poverty" explanations, studies of seemingly irrational risk-taking behaviors among West Virginia adolescents found that early pregnancy and dropping out of school were related to lack of economic opportunity and decline of traditional community cultural patterns without acceptable alternatives.…

Used data from a national survey of eighth graders to examine relationships between factors related to dropping out of high school and students' perceived likelihood of not completing high school, investigating urban and rural differences. Locus of control, self-concept, and educational aspiration inversely correlated with perceived likelihood of…

Analyzes data from a freshman survey instrument and three-year outcomes data to define differences in college-ready and underprepared students classified according to a computerized placement test. Describes significant differences between underprepared and college-ready students and discusses their findings in relationship to the literature on…

In the second of a two-part series, this paper looks at the global spread of school dropout and at the factors that keep elementary school-aged children outside education. In order to have a more complete picture of the dropout problem, it necessary to take into account pupils who do not continue their education beyond primary education or who…

Gender disparity in education has usually been experienced as disadvantaging girls. Although this continues to be the case in many places, the phenomenon of boys' underachievement--both in terms of participation and performance--has also become an issue in a number of countries. This book reviews the research on boys' underachievement and presents…

As part of a study of racial relations between Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans in rural Idaho, over 60 teachers, school administrators, and students were interviewed in educational institutions in five southwestern Idaho communities. One high school was the focus of field research, which also included attending school activities and school…

In 1993-94 the Career Awareness Program for Bilingual Haitian and Hispanic Students (Project CAP) was in its fifth and final year as an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII project. Project CAP operated at two high schools in Brooklyn (New York), serving 136 Haitians at one and an undetermined number of Spanish-speaking and Haitian…

The Helpful Opportunities for Pupil Enrichment (Project HOPE) was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its third year in 1993-94. It operated at three intermediate schools in New York City. In the year evaluated, Project HOPE served 365 Spanish- and Chinese-speaking students in grades 6 through 8 who were…