How can teachers and administrators steer students toward graduation and away from dropping out? What determining factors contribute to a student's choice to drop out? Why is high school graduation such an important issue in society today? Effective prevention and intervention programs for the most vulnerable students are key to improving…

A study examined evidence of any labor market payoff for school dropouts and if they acquire cognitive skills, and studied whether the payoff differs by gender and race/ethnicity. It analyzed data containing information on the universe of school dropouts in New York and Florida who took the General Educational Development (GED) exams between…

Examines changes in the characteristics and outcomes of school dropouts in Australia during the 1980s. Schools recruited more broadly among females during this period, which weakened the association between dropping out and social background. For males, social differences remained entrenched. Both genders experienced steep increases in…

Research on dropouts at an urban, comprehensive New York City high school found a complex politics of "discharge" and low awareness on the part of students and parents of legal entitlement to education, which allowed 66 percent of a ninth grade cohort to dropout without comment or concern. (JB)

This study examined the individual and household determinants that affected the chances of Cambodian rural children being enrolled in or dropping out of school before completing grade four. Data were obtained from interviews with 159 children aged between 12 to 18 years and their families from two rural villages in Pursat province of Cambodia. The…

This manual has been produced to familiarize data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the first follow-up dropout component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Necessary documentation is also provided for use of the data files. The base-year population covered by the NELS:88 included…

This booklet is an instruction manual for those using the FOCUS database, an information source on dropout prevention of the National Dropout Prevention Center. An introduction lists the FOCUS files, which include Program Profiles, Calendar of Events, Resource Materials Library, Organizations, and Consultants and Speakers. Also given is the…

A summary of research on effective school characteristics as they relate to dropout prevention and recovery is presented in order to inform practitioners of the literature in this area. The summary takes the form of discussions of the following research findings: (1) there are important similarities between effective schools and successful dropout…

Rather than insist on a needlessly high cut-off age for leaving school, educational administrators could ease the process of transition by introducing a variable school-leaving age and by replacing "schooling" with progressive periods in colleges of further education and employment. (Author/MW)

Despite many responses to the dropout problem, it remains unclear which school strategies are successful with at-risk students. State initiatives are well intentioned, but have certain limitations. Criteria such as local accountability, school-by-school regeneration and reform, longitudinal strategies, and horizontal coordination are needed. This…

This report compares dropout prevention programs in six cities. Questionnaires were completed by program coordinators, staff members, and students in order to determine what might make such a program succeed. The report includes a review of the literature, a description of methods employed in research, and summaries of survey responses in…

Following up on the work of a task force that studied the dropout problem in the Los Angeles Unified School District and developed recommendations for addressing that problem, this report describes current dropout prevention efforts and proposals for expansion and presents recommendations for new approaches. Six major categories of programs are…

Whereas the nationwide dropout rate is 27 percent, in Hartford, Connecticut, 39 percent of high school students do not graduate. This factor limits residents' employability in the city's expanding economy. The problem is especially serious among Hispanic students, who comprise 39 percent of Hartford's high school population and account for 47…

Considerable research has focused on counselor variables related to clients' willingess to continue in psychotherapy. Investigators have studied the effects of a variety of factors influencing counseling dropouts, including administrative policies, client characteristics, and therapist characteristics. This study examined willingness to return as…

A comprehensive review of an NIMH study which examined "institutional racial climate" was used to detect trends and patterns of the colleges surveyed in this dissertation. The main purpose of this study was to explore the causes of black attrition at predominantly white institutions of higher education. An open-ended 79 variable questionnaire was…