A study was done to examine the reasons why Puerto Rican youth from the Holyoke (Massachusetts) Public School System drop out of high school and the effect of dropping out of school on the Latino community. The study was conducted using data provided by the Holyoke School Department and drawn from Students' cumulative folders and school district…

This resource guide includes abstracts of 90 papers presented at the conference. Section 1, "Understanding Students At-Risk," includes 17 abstracts that emphasize the need for a comprehensive set of services that can respond to the diverse needs of at-risk students. Section 2, "Preventing and Reducing Incidence of At-Risk," includes 17 abstracts…

A research project investigated 2,313 persons who attended Del Mar College (Texas) during fall 1990 but did not enroll for spring 1991. Four sets of data were collected: (1) limited demographic information on the total student body; (2) demographic information drawn from school records to describe all nonreturnees; (3) demographic information…

This report provides statistical information on the characteristics of students who dropped out of North Carolina public schools during the 1992-93 academic year. Statistical data are provided for each of the state's local education agencies in the areas of number of dropouts and dropout rates, as well as demographic data and dropout comparisons…

The multiple causes and complex nature of the dropout problem require a variety of program approaches to help both at-risk students and dropouts. Twelve-Together (Detroit, Michigan), Adopt-a-Student (Atlanta, Georgia), and the Summer Youth Employment Program (New Bedford, Massachusetts) are supplemental services providing counseling and job…

Lack of data on California high school graduation and dropout rates prompted the development of a research method for determining graduation and dropout rates for the Region II Migrant Education enrolled high school Class of 1985. The most accurate method of estimating these rates was to track individual students through their high school years.…

Longitudinal dropout rates (LDR's) for public school students and LDR's of pupil membership by ethnic group based on two Texas Education Agency reports are estimated. LDR's are calculated for the state, by school district size, for the 21 largest districts, and by average high school size. Findings dispel the prevalent perception of the dropout…

Four essays and associated introductory text constituting the proceedings of a symposium on dropout research issues are presented. The introduction by Glynn Ligon makes a call for considering what is known about dropouts, what is needed to be known about dropouts, and how these findings can be communicated to educators, the public, and lawmakers.…

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…