In 1988, the United States Congress passed legislation that created the School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Program (SDDAP). The program provides funding for local educational agencies, community-based organizations, and educational partnerships to establish effective programs. This report, the second of two volumes, presents statistical data…

Ranken Technical College, a small, private, non-profit, two-year technical college in St. Louis, developed a plan whereby at-risk students would be flagged, their needs assessed, and programs put into place to meet those needs. The desired result was a higher retention rate, especially among minorities. The following components were found to be…

This report provides a brief review of literature on at-risk students and implications for a study being conducted by the Pacific Region Educational Laboratory (PREL). The study aims to identify factors that put students at-risk of failure within the present system of public high schools in the Pacific region. Although numerous studies present a…

This monograph provides home economics educators with a resource that contains an overview of youth at risk, reviews motivation theory as a basis for educational decision making, and provides practical teaching suggestions that will help home economics teachers reach and teach these students. The guide is organized in five sections. Following a…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE) at Ohio State University worked with six schools (two comprehensive high schools, two high schools served by an area vocational center, an area vocational center, and a junior high school) in the SREB region to keep potential dropouts in…

Children who experience multiple stressors (e.g., limited language skill, low motivation, cultural value differences, low parental involvement in school, etc.) should be identified at the outset of kindergarten so that they and their parents can be supported more directly and better communication encouraged. This study explores the questions that…

A study was done to examine the lived experience of conflict among students in a transitional class for returning long-term absentees in Walker Hill High School (a pseudonym), an inner city New York City high school. The project was a substudy of the New York City Dropout Prevention Evaluation Project. The theoretical framework of the study began…

This paper consists of 13 chapters that describe a study of the effects of training in conflict resolution and cooperative learning in an alternative high school in New York City. Three of the school's four campuses participated, with Campus A receiving conflict resolution training, Campus C receiving cooperative and Campus B receiving training in…

This paper presents an argument that cooperative learning's effect on academic achievement is mediated by students' academic self-concept and academic goals as well as briefly reporting findings from an empirical investigation of the theories presented. The paper argues that the psychological processes produced by cooperative learning groups cause…

This paper describes a methodology for the evaluation of dropout prevention programs, for calculating dropout rates, and for comparing alternative programs equitably. A first step involves developing a hierarchy of criteria for evaluating programs. These criteria are used to obtain dropout risk probability for individuals and groups and types of…

This manual provides a framework for formulating a game plan for retention of students in vocational training. The information is based on possible conflicts the students may encounter that would hinder the completion of vocational programs. The conflicts are categorized into personal conflicts, school-related conflicts, and other situations.…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District has been researching the dropout issue for several years and has studied the implementation of the mandated Texas at-risk criteria to identify at-risk students. Having identified students at risk, the district followed them for 4 years (1987-88 to 1990-91) to determine the accuracy of the initial…

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 study explores how urban school principals perceive the problem of and solutions to student dropouts, and how these perceptions relate to student outcomes. Using the model of Bossert and his colleagues as a preliminary framework, the study analyzes principal interviews and demographic and questionnaire data. In addition, student outcome data…

This booklet for mentors is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. An introduction discusses the role of the mentor and the skills a mentor will need to promote the student's self-development. These skills are listening actively, problem solving, developing motivation,…