The Region XI Migrant Education Program, Pajaro Valley Unified School District (Watsonville, CA) serves approximately 6,300 students during the regular school year and 4,400 students during the summer. Virtually all students are Hispanics, and 47 percent are currently migrant. As a group, these students have at least three characteristics that put…

Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program (LEAP) provides all teen parents who receive welfare with a substantial financial incentive to attend school. This is the fifth and annual report from a large-scale evaluation of the program, based on a study of 4,151 teenagers who were randomly assigned to either a program group or a control group.…

This study investigated the effects of schools' academic and disciplinary climates on student disengagement and dropping out, noting whether these effects varied by race/ethnic group. Data came from the High School Effectiveness Study (HSES), which allows contextual analysis of urban youth in their high schools, and the Common Core of Data, from…

This guide shows how "Foyers" (safe residences for working/learning youth) and other organizations provide routes back into learning for young people. Chapter 1, "Young People and the Current Learning Agenda," provides a summary of encouraging developments from government, ushering in new learning opportunities for young people. Chapter 2,…

This paper outlines two approaches for improving outcomes for students at risk for academic failure. Both take a systemic approach to the problem by focusing on how specific circumstances create a reality of failure for many students. One school analyzed factors related to retention/promotion decisions and determined that four factors directly…

This report summarizes various academic outcomes for only a single, closed cohort, or class, of first-time ninth-grade students in AISD between the 1993-1994 and 1997-1998 school years.

A study of doctoral candidates who left doctoral study considered these factors: financial difficulties, relationships with advisors and/or committees, research problems, personal problems, employment interference, family demands, peer support loss of interest, and employment patterns. Implications for policy formation are considered. (MSE)

H. S. Bhola's CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model for planned change was used to improve recruitment techniques at an adult learning center. The model organized data about the target audience, and recruitment increased sharply. A follow-up study to determine why students dropped out of the program concluded that…

A program for high-risk students at Eastern Oregon State College is described. Identification, prescription, follow-up, and evaluation of the target population are discussed. The results of the program are not dramatic but it is felt that efforts need to be intensified. (MLW)

Freshman courses designed to increase the integration of students into college environments and thus decrease attrition rates are described based on a review of current practices of 20 colleges and universities. Core components are informal contact with peers, faculty, and staff; a small group setting; and cognitive and affective learning. (JMF)

A study of eight successive freshman cohorts at the University of South Carolina found that both participating in a freshman orientation seminar and living on campus reduced freshman dropout rates. Students who both participated in the seminar and lived on campus had the lowest dropout rate, whereas those who did neither had the highest dropout…

Overviews national data concerning the problems associated with the high dropout rate of migrant students. Stresses the importance of enhancing self-esteem of migrant children. Offers recommendations for national, state, and community action that emphasize empowering children and their families to break the cycles of poverty, abuse, and high…

The validity of Tinto's model of college withdrawal was investigated with 100 4-year public college women and 165 2-year private college women. Institutional commitment was most directly affected by social integration. This commitment was seen as pivotal to retention. (IAH)

Describes conceptual model that helps explain why students drop out of correspondence courses. Student background characteristics, organizational setting and the environment, attitudes about education, and course instruction are linked with behavioral intent and lesson submission activity to determine variables that influence completion of…

Factors related to dropping out were examined among Northern Cheyenne and Crow high school students living in three southeastern Montana communities and attending a Catholic school, a public school, or a tribal school. Place of residence, parental educational attainment, and school experiences were important variables, but their effects varied by…