This paper describes efforts to identify students at risk of dropping out of school in 21 school districts in central New York. Examination of the student folders of 309 recent dropouts and interviews with principals, superintendents, and guidance counselors provided data, which were organized on student dropout data sheets, a protocol developed…

This report describes student technicians who dropped out of postsecondary education courses before qualifying for the New Zealand Certificate of Engineering (NZCE). The exploratory study describes some of the characteristics and progress of the students who dropped out of NZCE studies and investigates the reasons for high dropout among students.…

A review of research on dropouts from adult basic education (ABE) reveals several theoretical models relevant to the study of dropout and persistence in ABE, shows specific variables related to dropout behavior, provides insights as to who drops out and why, identifies some characteristics of disadvantaged adult learners, and reveals some problems…

High school dropouts are usually academic underachievers who adjust to social environments with difficulty. When they leave school, they develop even greater behavior problems and have more trouble getting employment than do high school graduates. To prevent dropouts, schools try to find funds for dropout prevention programs, work with agencies…

This report summarizes research on retention and dropouts. Although there has been a recent resurgence of retention programs aimed at students who encounter subject-area difficulties, many studies have questioned the value of retention, especially if it is not accompanied by programs of remediation and individualized learning. However, researchers…

This document is the result of an Institute for Educational Leadership conference convened to brief Congressional staff on dropouts, dropout programs, and what information about dropouts merits consideration by policymakers. This report is intended to be a readable account of the dropout problem appropriate for the general public as well as for…

Members of the educational community are increasingly concerned that the dropout rate is too high. However, concerned educators and researchers do not agree who should be included in the data to determine the dropout rate. National definitions are needed so that accurate comparisons can be made. There is also a need to assess the effectiveness of…

This study was conducted to develop a means for implementing proven recruitment strategies to attract and retain students in postsecondary vocational programs in Florida. In order to achieve this purpose, the following objectives were set: (1) to identify methods to overcome the most significant barriers to student retention identified by…

This practice-application digest addresses what vocational education can do to reduce the almost 30 percent dropout rate among U.S. students. The first section describes factors that place students at risk, focusing on factors included in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's definition of the term "at-risk." In the next…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate retention efforts in Ontario (Canada) secondary schools in order to develop policy and support initiatives designed to reduce dropouts and improve retention rates. The study had four parts: (1) an analysis of credit accumulation for four cohorts and academic achievement patterns over 4 years in 16 schools;…

The Kentucky Dropout Prevention Advisory Commission, appointed in 1984, found enough evidence to conclude that Kentucky's dropout problem is large enough to nerit the development of statewide dropout prevention efforts. Any such effort, the Commission states, will require a commitment from all Kentucky officials, educators, and citizens to educate…

A theoretical model is attempted that explains the processes of interaction between the individual and the institution that lead differing individuals to drop out from the institutions. Recent research in the field is also reviewed to gain new insights into the social process of dropping out from higher education. (Author/DEP)

A study of 215 inactive students (1973 to the end of the summer semester 1977) of the School of Technical Careers (STC) Baccalaureate Program was conducted to answer three questions: (1) How do inactive students differ from graduates?; (2) Why did they leave the Baccalaureate Program?; and (3) What have they done since leaving the program? Major…

Reported is the 1963 special summer dropout prevention program financed by the President's emergency fund and by various other national, state, and local agencies and organizations. The document summarizes the dropout campaign and describes briefly the types of programs and methods used to identify and contact dropouts and potential dropouts. Also…

This is a report of a forty-four month investigation in which three curricular approaches to rehabilitating school dropouts were evaluated under experimental conditions. Program participants were school dropouts between the ages of 17 and 22, and the program was conducted in a large urban high school. The findings of the study were: (1)…