In 1962 and again in 1965, a group of sixth and ninth grade students in selected schools in four Puerto Rican communities were interviewed to investigate the factors influencing students' decision to withdraw from school before completing twelfth grade and to identify some characteristics of dropouts. Of 616 students interviewed in 1962, 20.9% of…

The population of this study consisted of 18 students who withdrew from the Glasgow Independent School System (Kentucky) during the 1975-76, 1976-77, and 1977-78 school years. The questionnaires submitted to the former students and their parents sought to determine how they felt about school prior to leaving, reasons for leaving school, opinions…

In order to investigate patterns of persistence in courses taken by day students at Los Angeles City College, class enrollment data were gathered at the end of the third week of the Fall 1978 semester, at the first and second census weeks, and on the last day of the semester. Additionally, the number of students receiving final grades other than W…

American Indian high school students have a number of alternative schools available to them: they may attend public schools, or schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, churches, or the tribes themselves. At both elementary and secondary levels Indian students avail themselves of the various alternative schools. One survey indicates that…

Unemployment among young people, particularly for minorities and the disadvantaged, has been a persistent and growing problem in this country for the past decades. In response to this situation, Congress in 1977 enacted the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act, the first comprehensive job and training legislation devoted solely to youth…

A study was conducted to identify the significant factors of student attrition in Wisconsin's postsecondary vocational, technical, and adult education system to determine predictability, and to indicate areas for improvement of retention measures. Survey instruments were developed to gather data from 121 non-completers and instructors. A third…

SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL, IN 1960-1961, ESTABLISHED A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO HOLD A SELECTED GROUP OF POTENTIAL DROPOUTS IN SCHOOL IN ORDER TO IMPROVE SCHOLASTIC MOTIVATION, REDUCE DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, DEVELOP INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, AND PROVIDE PRELIMINARY WORK EXPERIENCE. TWO EXPERIMENTAL AND TWO CONTROL CLASSES WERE FORMED. THE STUDENTS ATTENDED…

In education, considerable attention has been paid to the characteristics and prevalence of high school dropouts. However, pregnant teenagers present a special case of dropouts since many have interrupted their schooling by force rather than by choice. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of most dropout studies precludes an investigation of…

A study, as part of a larger report on attrition and retention of students at Miami University, was undertaken to determine the reasons for withdrawing from the university prior to earning a degree. A questionnaire was mailed to the 1,026 students in the 1978 class who voluntarily left the institution and for whom correct addresses could be…

As part of a Student Outcomes Model, a study was conducted of attrition in the 1975 freshman class at the University of Colorado using longitudinal survey data from nonreturning students and those currently enrolled. Discriminant analysis was employed to identify factors that distinguished persisters, academic dismissals, stopouts, and transfers.…

Operation Second Chance trained school dropouts for vocational skills in three areas in North Carolina--the mountainous West, the Piedmont plains, and the coastal farmlands. Length of the training varied from the six weeks nurses' aide program to the 12-week sewing for upholstery program through the 16-week carpentry, upholstery, welding,…

Project Emerge, funded under Title VIII of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act, is located in the Model Cities Area, a black-inhabited west side section of Dayton, Ohio. The target school student population is 2,300 of which 20 percent come from families with low incomes. Project Emerge's major objectives are to reduce the dropout rate in…

Vocational Village was opened by the Portland (Oregon) School District in 1968 to provide opportunities for students who had not been successful in traditional high school programs. A basic concept of the programs initiated at Vocational Village was the desire to personalize and individualize instruction. However, as operations got under way it…

This paper describes a community-based approach to delinquency prevention utilizing indigenous nonprofessionals as behavior change agents. Adult residents in two Model Cities communities served as "buddies" of youth referred for behavior and academic problems. The principles and techniques of behavior modification were used in the training of…

Funded under ESEA Title I, this program was designed to provide income and work experience for disadvantaged junior high school youths age fourteen and above; and, to provide incentives which would motivate youths to continue their education through high school. The wages earned were intended to enable the student to provide for some of his…