Researchers use many different methods to calculate the high school dropout rate, and depending on the approach, the numbers can look very different. But, no matter which method is used, the key finding is the same: too many students are leaving school without the knowledge and skills they need to meet the demands of twenty-first century…

As part of MDRC's multisite Opening Doors demonstration, Chaffey College, a large community college in Southern California, ran two versions of a program that was designed to improve outcomes among students who are on probation. Both versions offered a "College Success" course, taught by a college counselor, which provided basic…

Children with autism spectrum disorders face a complex set of challenges when they enter the school system. Inspired by the work of D.W. Winnicott and Carl Rogers, the author suggests that facilitative educational settings for these children are those that stimulate creativity, honor a child's strengths, trust the developmental process, and…

In this quantitative research study the researcher investigated the effect of vocabulary instruction on the reading achievement of at risk students. A quasi-experimental design was used to determine the effect that vocabulary instruction had on the reading achievement of the at risk students. The sample used in the study was purposive, because…

The monitoring and support of university freshmen is considered very important at many educational institutions. In this paper we describe the results of the educational data mining case study aimed at predicting the Electrical Engineering (EE) students drop out after the first semester of their studies or even before they enter the study program…

The campaign for universal preschool education in the United States has gained great momentum. Precisely as strategists intended, many Americans have come to believe that pre-kindergarten is a good and necessary thing for government to provide, even that not providing it will cruelly deprive the youngest residents of their birthrights, blight…

The purpose of this study was to identify individual and family risk factors that may explain why some students are at risk for academic failure. Students' self-concept, academic motivation, and their parents' involvement in education were reported by both students and teachers. A latent variable path model fit the data well (Comparative Fit Index…

Objective data provide overwhelming evidence that children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are underidentified and underserved. This was the central argument in our November 2007 Forum article to which Harry, Hart, Klingner, Cramer, and Sturges responded. In this rejoinder, we continue to assert the dramatic need to offer…

The proposal of Every Child Matters: The Green Paper (2003), to locate the protection and support of children, with an emphasis on those who may be the most vulnerable, in a strengthened universal service, has provided the impetus for a radical and transformational response at both national and local levels. Local education authorities have been…

A review of the literature reveals that African-American males do not achieve at the same academic levels as their White counterparts. This article reports the effectiveness of a school-based male mentoring program established by a professional school counselor in an urban high school that formed a relationship of support for male students…

Cognitive, word-level reading, spelling and writing measures were administered to academically at-risk undergraduates with writing difficulties to examine their literacy profiles; and performance was compared to typically-achieving writers. The at-risk students were slower and less accurate on measures of sight word reading, lexical decision,…

The two most influential environments in which young children develop are their homes and their early childhood education programs. In 2005, 60 percent of all U.S. children under age 6 spent some time in the care of persons other than their parents, including 62 percent of White children, 69 percent of Black children, and 49 percent of Hispanic…

The disturbed and disturbing college student causes the most vexing concerns for student affairs administrators. The Assessment-Intervention of Student Problems (AISP) model offers a useful and easily understood framework for dealing with the various challenges of this high-risk student population. This chapter focuses on changes that have…

In this study, the author aimed at measuring how much limited working memory capacity constrains early numerical development before any formal mathematics instruction. To that end, 4- and 5-year-old children were tested for their memory skills in the phonological loop (PL), visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP), and central executive (CE); they also…

Early childhood programs are growing increasingly concerned about the number of preschoolers exhibiting challenging behavior. This case study describes how educators at the Visiting Nurses Association Child Care and Family Resource Center program addressed this concern by implementing the systems, data, and practices of Program-Wide Positive…