Background/Context: Even though not fully realized, in legislation and theory, the requirements of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act and the No Child Left Behind Act have created pressure to address the historical inequity in educational opportunity, achievement, and outcomes, as well as disparities in achievement between…

Educational policy trends have contributed to rising rates of student grade retention over the past two decades. This research bulletin looks at the evidence about whether and how grade retention may influence the chances that a student would drop out of school. In 1992, evidence indicates that about 20% of 14-year-olds may have experienced a…

In 1993-94, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) allocated money to four operations areas for five dropout prevention programs for overage ninth graders. Three of the five area dropout programs had positive effects on the dropout rates of students served. The dropout rates for these programs were lower than the sixth six-weeks…

This publication begins with a fact sheet that details how tech prep can and should complement other dropout prevention strategies used by a school district. The rest of the document contains 110 selected quotes, statistics, and statements concerning the need for tech prep programs. References (author, title, source, date) are given in parentheses…

This report presents statistical data with analyses of dropouts in Texas for the 1990-91 school year. The data used in the report are based on enrollment in grades 7 through 12 and on school districts reporting the number of individuals absent for a period of 30 or more consecutive days. Section I, a state summary, includes the following types of…

This report presents data on public school dropouts in grade levels 7 and 12 in Texas public middle schools and high schools for 1989-90. The data are presented in the aggregate and by grade, and with projected cross-sectional dropout rates for each of those grades for the next 5 years. The information was provided through the Public Education…

This report contains the school-year and annual dropout counts for the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) for 1990-91 and trends and comparison data from the previous 8 years. Also reported are the current status of entering ninth graders from 1983-84 through 1990-91 and the current status of entering seventh graders from 1984-85…

A practicum addressed the problem of low self-esteem of at-risk students by developing and implementing a 12-week dropout prevention program for 19 eighth-grade students in urban, middle class school. The program used five basic strategies for raising self-esteem: affective skills training (using role playing, mapping, and brainstorming to help…

An instructional plan to rescue at-risk students must be based on a curriculum intended to serve all students. The creation of a functional curriculum, the promotion of employability skills, and an emphasis on improving study skills are instructional patterns that seem to be effective in reducing the number of student dropouts. Two alternatives…

A supplemental reading intervention program was designed and implemented to increase the reading comprehension for at-risk students. Subjects, 11 fourth graders in two different classes, were chosen on the basis of below grade reading level as evidenced by both classroom performance and national achievement tests' score. The 10-week reading…

This module identifies the at-risk student and addresses strategies and effective programs for dealing with the at-risk population. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses a question-and-answer format to define at-risk students, discuss reasons for dropout, and provide information on early identification of risk, the effect of dropping…

Tri-County High School in Clarksburg, West Virginia, uses a nontraditional approach to educating actual and potential dropouts from schools in surrounding areas. The primary objective of the program is to enable students to develop adaptive behaviors and adequate skills to return to the regular classroom. The initial screening for admission into…

The research analyzed data sets covering 1981-1985 enrollments, transfers, and withdrawals at two large urban high schools (called Urbana and Northern) in eastern Massachusetts and personal interviews with selected school administrators in four school districts to investigate high dropout rates among Hispanics. Findings indicated that 30% of the…

Chief state school officers have committed themselves to seek the elimination of the nation's dropout problem by the turn of the century. Two reasons are given for this unusually strong statement. First is the human or moral issue that leaves millions of youth destined to a life of poverty if school cannot be successful in meeting their needs.…

A study was conducted to investigate the validity of Tinto's model of college withdrawal in a public four-year college and a private two-year institution. The model consists of six sets of variables in a causal sequence; i.e., background characteristics, initial goal and institutional commitment, academic and social integration, subsequent goal…