The current study investigated a needs assessment survey designed to measure perceptions of causes of dropout and school violence and related interventions. The needs assessment was conceptualized as a first step to be taken by schools to facilitate program planning, school-based implementation and acceptability of programs designed to prevent…

The high school dropout rate in a southern U.S. state is 22.1% and students who fall behind in reading and math in middle school are more likely to fail 9th grade. This specific failure is one of the strongest predictors that a student will ultimately drop out of school. The research questions of this study addressed the relationship between math…

Research confirms that students with disabilities (e.g., emotional and behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities, and developmental delays) are overrepresented in correctional facilities across the United States. The literature suggests several reasons for the overrepresentation of students with disabilities in the correctional system: (a)…

Higher education institutions are facing challenges with regard to improving the success and pass rate of students. Mentorship in the life skills programmes should contribute significantly in addressing these issues. A study was undertaken to determine students' perceptions of the life skills programme at the Tshwane University of Technology. The…

Despite Kenya Government's commitment to enhancement of girl-child education, their participation rate at secondary school level is still notably low. Many studies on the girl-child education have concentrated in the rural populations with the assumption that the situation in the urban setting is nearly ideal. This was not the case as was…

Recent changes in public school educational finance in the state of Kansas are shown to have had little positive effect on student educational achievement. A differences structure is used to determine the effect of changes in revenue per student at the district level on changes in measures of student achievement. Measures of achievement employed…

A few years ago, Mathew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker generated big laughs and big box office sales in "Failure to Launch," an absurd comedy about a 26-year old man still living in his parents' basement, spending his days watching television and playing video games while the world passed him by. The film was closer to the truth…

This article examines data collected from an ethnographic research project conducted with 56 gang-associated Latino youths ages 15 to 21 from 2007 to 2009. The objectives of the study were to examine how poor Latino gang-associated youths perceived schooling and policing and to find out if the research process could promote educational aspirations…

This research provides an analysis of Internet use and online literacy skill among seventh-grade students who were identified as having a high risk for school dropout. Participants (n = 1,025) included students from 12 middle schools in 9 school districts. Six of the schools were located in rural and urban districts in the Northeast United States…

The construct of student engagement is increasingly prevalent in the field of education, serving as the foundation of dropout prevention and high school reform initiatives. The purpose of this study was to further examine 1 measure of student engagement, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), designed to measure 2 subtypes of student engagement:…

First Nations youth in Canada demonstrate disproportionately high rates of negative behaviors such as violence, substance abuse, and leaving school early. An understanding of historical context and current environment helps explain these patterns. Providing culturally relevant opportunities for youth to build healthy relationships and leadership…

Research on the validity of psychosocial factors (PSFs) and other noncognitive predictors of college outcomes has largely ignored the practical benefits implied by the validity. We summarize evidence of the validity of PSF measures as predictors of college outcomes and then explain how this validity directly translates into improved identification…

"YouthBuild" offers low-income youth both education and job training services. "YouthBuild's" education component emphasizes attaining a GED or high school diploma, typically in alternative schools with small class sizes and an emphasis on individualized instruction. In "YouthBuild's" job-training program,…

The District conducts a "cross-sectional" analysis of student dropouts annually; it examines dropout rates among students enrolled in various grades at one point in time. A "longitudinal" analysis, also conducted annually, tracks a group of students in the same grade or cohort over a period of several years. Each method…

Cincinnati (Ohio) has established a collaborative effort between the private sector, the Cincinnati Public Schools, and public elected officials for the purpose of reducing dropouts and reducing youth unemployment. Started in 1986, the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) immediately began to study relevant data from the schools, defined at-risk…