Gives an overview of the drop-out problem, summarizes some research on alternative approaches, and discusses an alternative school that uses a Contract/Criterion-Referenced Testing approach on a highly individualized level to provide a basic skills program for dropout and potential drop-out students. (Author/RK)

Investigated the relationship between dropping out of high school and substance use. Controlling for other important risk factors, the 1984 longitudinal survey data of people aged 19-27 indicated use of cigarettes, marijuana, and other illicit drugs increases the propensity to drop out and that the earlier the initiation into drugs the greater the…

Identified factors which distinguish persisters, dropouts, and transfer students in engineering. Also determined a discriminant function which predicts persistence of an incoming engineering student. Factors influencing attrition include: student expectations, academic style, and faculty support.

A conceptual model of the factors affecting dropout syndrome was develop emphasizing academic, social, and personal outcomes of the selection or socialization of students at a university. The model was estimated using path analysis, and the intervening variables were found to be important predictors of dropout syndrome. (Author/DWH)

Statistics on the drop-add tendencies of undergraduates at Clemson University were compiled. Three semesters were compared collectively, and it was discovered that numerous students had dropped at least one course in two of the three semesters and others in all three semesters. Profiles were built on these two groups. (MLW)

Argues research investigating distance education drop-out problems hasn't been based on comprehensive theoretical models; suggests Spady, Tinto, and Boshier's theoretical models are relevant to such research, since they reflect importance of exploring aptitude-treatment interactions in investigating drop-out problems; and proposes that the…

This study explores whether propensity score methods produce unbiased estimates of program impacts by comparing experimental and propensity score impacts of dropout prevention programs on four student outcomes (dropping out, absenteeism, educational aspirations, and self-esteem). It also estimates the standard error of propensity score impacts…

Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) conducted a student survey to identify causes of first-time student attrition between fall 1999 semester and the following spring semester. A Non-Returning Student Survey was mailed to 2,026 such students, 185 of whom responded by mail, and 494 more of whom were contacted for telephone interviews. Reasons…

In the Wake County, North Carolina, Public School System, there was a duplicated total of 1,230 students who dropped out of school. Of these, 4 were in grades K-6, and the rest were in grades 7-12. These students were first-time dropouts or had dropped out in previous years (duplicated dropouts). There had been a steady decline in the dropout rate…

Texas has the third highest dropout rate in the nation. Various organizations that measure the Texas dropout rate using different methods disagree about actual numbers of dropouts. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) reports that 26,901 students in grades 7-12 dropped out in the 1996-97 school year. Dropouts were 29 percent White, 18 percent African…

This report proposes that not enough good data or research has been done to settle the debate over whether testing affects high school dropout rates. Advocates argue that the threat of missing out on a diploma or of being retained motivates students to work harder, resulting in higher academic achievement. Critics argue that failing a high school…

This paper examines the decision-making process in retaining a student and the empirical effects of such decisions within an economic framework. The article models the decision to retain a child as a parental decision in which a parent holds a child back because the benefit of retention is higher expected earnings. The costs of retention include…

All dropouts from Hiawatha High School (Kirkland, Illinois) in the last 3 years were surveyed to determine why they dropped out and what the school could do to deter students from dropping out. Nationally, dropping out is related to poverty, lack of parental support, drug abuse, learning disabilities, and a history of poor school performance.…

Raising graduation rates for students attending schools in the United States is a national priority. As part of the No Child Left Behind Act, schools are required to track and report the percentage of students who graduate with a regular diploma in four years. The magnitude of the problem for student subgroups (including students of Hispanic and…

Compares the scores obtained on the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire by students constituting three academic categories: good, dropout, and probationary; the test was given to all 468 freshmen entering Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri, in the fall of 1969. (Author/JM)