This report presents findings from a multi-year project on handicapped and non-handicapped high school dropouts, including a longitudinal study of high school students in five Colorado school districts and a social ecological study to identify community characteristics which predispose a school district to high dropout rates. The longitudinal…

The role of the school in the prevention of and intervention in child sexual abuse is examined in this digest. Information is provided on factors that affect recognition and reporting by school personnel; potential indicators of child sexual abuse, both behavioral and physical; issues related to allegations involving school employees; the…

This report, designed for program initiators such as policymakers and advisory committees, is the second of two publications on school-age child care. This document specifically addresses school-age child care policy and focuses attention on various programs offering children a predictable and safe environment of care and informal learning.…

This report covers major events in early childhood education in 1989. Discussion addresses: (1) the possibility of newly available funding due to the end of the Cold War; (2) legislation stalled in Congress; (3) new studies documenting problems in child day care; (4) slow increases in corporate child care; (5) increases in public school child…

The report provides a comprehensive review of child abuse and neglect concerns in Texas and offers a variety of recommendations. Data on the extent of the problem indicate that the need for treatment services has outstripped available resources. The direct and indirect costs of untreated child abuse are estimated. The joint study committee…

Most disadvantaged children have multiple needs that require a comprehensive, integrated approach to service delivery. A recent study of the conditions of children reported the following changes since 1969 that warrant a reassessment of service delivery: (1) the number of children living in poverty has increased; (2) family structure and working…

This paper examines existing research regarding the problem of school dropouts. It examines the historical context of the problem and discusses current definitions and methods for identifying dropout characteristics and computing dropout rates. Few incentives exist for accurate record-keeping on dropouts. School finances are often linked to…

This issue of "Georgia ALERT" contains a series of articles focused on specific issues confronting schools and education today. "Education and the World Around Us: How Will Schools Cope?" (Kristin Summerlin) looks at the 1990s and what this decade will hold for children in school. A section on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) education…

This report examines public policy supports that might help adolescents make the transition to the workplace or future schooling. In the first section of the report, a statement of belief concerning the school's role in the transition process is presented. The second section reviews the crisis in transition supports. It itemizes the student view,…

A new body of educational research is now showing that there are many things teachers, principals, and schools can do to improve student performance. Effective teachers do five things: (1) focus teaching and curriculum selection on the basic skills; (2) provide most instruction to the class as a whole; (3) maintain a high student success rate; (4)…

Aided by a 21-member Elementary Education Study Group, the Secretary of Education has prepared the first comprehensive report on elementary education in the United States in more than three decades. The report finds America's elementary schools in pretty good shape, and states that they do their job especially well in the early grades, only…

This report's central theoretical assumption is that adolescents are in risk of problem behavior if they are not sufficiently equipped with the social and psychological competencies to cope with culturally and socially defined developmental tasks specific to their ages. The first chapter describes the socio-structural factors which have changed…

Although disabled students need the same comprehensive assistance in making the transition from school to work as their nondisabled counterparts, most disabled youth, and particulary those with severe disabilities, do not receive adequate assistance in this area. This situation can be remedied by approaching the transition to employment as a…

The concept of instructional leadership is constrained by social conventions that derive from a technical notion devoted to managerial rather than educational ends. This paper analyzes (1) assumptions held about leadership and instruction, (2) these notions in other contexts and practices, and (3) effects of such practices on the lives of…

It is the position of the Texas Council on Vocational Education that students at high risk of dropping out of school need an instructional approach that is comprehensive, individualized, and caring. Vocational education provides an important learning alternative that can serve as a powerful component of dropout prevention and recovery programs. In…