Volume 2, the second of eight publications developed by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) as part of the "Texas School Dropout Survey Project," focuses on the issue of the computation of a dropout rate. Three important factors which influence the mathematical computation of a dropout rate are identified: time…

Volume 4, the fourth of eight publications developed by the Intercultural Development Research Association as part of the "Texas School Dropout Survey Project," focuses on school district research and procedures. It describes a survey of 143 districts with dropout identification procedures conducted to examine those procedures. Findings…

This collection of short articles, devoted to educational reform at the local level, addresses the issues of improving curricula, expanding educational resources, addressing dropout and discipline problems, and handling increased court involvement in school reform. "The Sceptre, the Rod and the Schoolhouse Gate," by Lawrence Friedman, traces the…

Established in 1970 and operated by the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, the George I. Sanchez Junior Senior High School (Houston, Texas) is an alternative school for Hispanics in grades 7-12. The school, staffed originally by volunteers, acquired a full-time executive director in 1973, established relations whith the Houston…

This paper traces the process of designing and administering a structured survey on dropping out of school to demonstrate the means by which working with organizations and their clients impacts research methodology. A dropout accounting system had been developed for the Ysleta Independent School District, a district with an enrollment of 50,000…

The 1990 Beating the Odds (BTO) Summer School was an intensive instructional, counseling, and guidance program sponsored by the Houston (Texas) Independent School District for a group of at-risk students in grades 5-9. The program was designed to provide a supportive and nurturing learning environment in which the academic and sociopsychological…

The Detroit Job Upgrading Program assists high school aged boys and girls who have dropped out of school, or who are considered to be potential dropouts, to reenroll and to progress satisfactorily until graduation. Students are also prepared for gainful employment in the nation's work force. The program is geared toward helping such youths make a…

This report provides information about current research on at-risk students and describes the development of an at-risk program in an Oregon school district. After a preface and introduction, chapter 1 reviews current literature on students who are considered at risk of school failure. Issues explored include (1) student characteristics, (2)…

This report summarizes and assesses Project REAL (Return to Employment and Learning), which attempted to attack the high rate of youth crime by focusing on youth offenders who, because they committed repeated serious offenses, were likely to become career criminals. Following a brief introduction, the report describes typical Project REAL clients…

To address the issues of student recruitment and retention in Florida, a three-year research study was conducted. The three phases of the study sought the following: (1) to describe barriers to recruitment and retention of disadvantaged, unemployed, underemployed, out-of-school youth as perceived by students, teachers, counselors, and…

Basic background information on college student attrition research studies is provided. This paper is divided into nine components that were prominent in the existing literature: (1) higher education and the concern for attrition; (2) factors involved in college student attrition; (3) demographic factors involved in college student attrition; (4)…

The Education for Employment Initiative is a cooperative effort of the School District of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Office of Employment Security, and the Private Industry Council to increase the employment opportunities for students and assist them in making the transition from school to work. In the 1987-88 school year, two locations were…

The Middle College High School (MCHS) in Tennessee is an alternative school located on the Shelby State Community College (SSCC) campus, designed to provide special counseling, college preparation, and access to SSCC facilities for potential high school dropouts who have the capacity for secondary and postsecondary success. The program, which was…

This manual describes a project developed to assist schools to help low-motivated students to increase their attendance and motivation, and to help reduce dropouts by enhancing students' self-image and increasing their success experiences in school. Each chapter contains a step-by-step outline for developing each stage of the program: (1) student…

This study of the effects of the Israeli rehabilitation system on disattached youth found little evidence that the programs examined had any impact. Israeli adolescents who neither work nor study are considered to be disattached. These youth are eventually absorbed into a variety of both voluntary and involuntary community residential educational…