This publication is the second of two dropout reports prepared in 1988-89 for the Houston (Texas) Independent School District. The first report presented dropout data for each of the district's secondary schools as well as for the district as a whole. This follow-up report on HISD's 1988-89 dropouts presents a districtwide perspective on…

This paper describes a study by the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) to determine its membership's opinions on priorities and expertise regarding the dropout problem. ACRES members, primarily rural special-education teachers, parents, and collateral service workers, were surveyed about the dropout problem and what research they…

This student book is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. This book, a related instructor's guide, and a viodetape entitled "A Time of Choices" comprise the classroom component of this set of materials focusing on awareness and commitment. The purpose of the program…

This paper focuses on data concerning the characteristics, attitudes, and school experiences of rural dropouts. The discussion, which draws largely upon the High School and Beyond database, considers two primary concerns. The first deals with differences between rural dropouts and their rural counterparts who stayed in school. Areas of inquiry…

Examined in this paper are the effects of school characteristics on both the probability of dropping out and absenteeism as the strongest predictor of dropping out. The project employed a subsample from the High School and Beyond database that contains results from questionnaires and achievement tests given in 1980 to approximately 30,000…

The Learning House Tutorial Center in The Dalles (Oregon) was begun in 1975 as an alternative program for students who had dropped out of the regular educational programs in The Dalles School District and neighboring Chenowith School District. Now serving over 75 students in a downtown location, the center's year-round program includes a summer…

This brief focuses on student attrition and retention in the two-year college. An introductory section discusses the definitions of attrition used in studies of student persistence; and how these definitions, which often include students who are actually completers in terms of their own educational goals, may exaggerate attrition rates, which are…

After questioning the credential value of the high school diploma at the present time and pointing out the need for considering the multiple psychological and social handicaps of the minority-group school dropout, this conference paper discusses (1) the rentention power of the schools, (2) youth employment, (3) equal job opportunities for Negroes,…

Two types of educational programs were designed to reach the potential dropout of 14-15 years of age and the early school leaver. The first program, known as the Work Experience and Career Exploration Program (WECEP), was developed to expose potential dropouts to the world of work and to impress upon them the importance of a high school education.…

This brief explores the challenges of documenting dropout rates and ways to support students with disabilities so that they meet academic standards and graduate. It begins by discussing the high dropout rate for students with disabilities and the rise of standards-based reform and high-stakes tests. Characteristics of high-risk students are…

This annual report provides information about dropouts in Texas public schools for the 1996-97 school year. The report includes (1) historical dropout information; (2) a summary of dropout rates based on dropout characteristics and school district characteristics; (3) a listing of dropout rates broken down by county, district, and campus; and (4)…

This booklet addresses the issues of school attendance, truancy, chronic absenteeism, and the problems faced by school dropouts. An introduction to these topics is followed by a series of questions and answers on school attendance and absenteeism. Questions focus on why students are absent from school, what they do when they are truant, how they…

Annually, a statewide school dropout study is conducted in New Mexico. The purpose of the study is to gather and publish information bearing on the extent and nature of the dropout problem in New Mexico public schools. Data on the grade, sex, ethnicity, and reason for dropping out were collected for students who prematurely discontinued their…

This policy brief looks at the problem of dropouts. The first report, by Todd Fennimore, from the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, provides a national perspective, focusing on dropout incidence and specific factors associated with dropping out of school. Strategies for dropout prevention are presented from both literature…

A questionnaire was administered to students who withdrew from two academic institutions - a teachers' college and a state university - to study their reasons for leaving. The most important reason for students' withdrawal was their feeling that the institution did not offer an academic experience that met their personal objectives. (Author)