This paper draws on path-like models of student attrition developed by researchers concerned with American higher education to suggest a process model of dropping out of school which is applicable to secondary schools. It notes that existing research on school dropouts has been conducted largely without the guidance of such a model. Central…

A longitudinal analysis of students who entered New York City high schools in 1979 supports the perception that most future dropouts can be identified at the beginning of their high school careers. This study examined the records of more than a quarter of the 1979 entering class at New York City high schools. Analyses were performed on attendance,…

This monograph was written to provide information on which students drop out of school and why, and to examine successful dropout prevention programs. Research is reviewed which has identified characteristics of dropouts and their reasons for leaving school. Other studies are cited which explore characteristics of effective dropout prevention…

This study concerns school dropouts in the Boston Public School system. It is divided into three sections which deal with: (1) a review of research studies on the causes of school dropout; (2) statistical analysis of the Boston situation by race and ethnic origin, gender, grade, and location; and (3) a review of prevention/intervention programs,…

The relationship between dropping out of high school and substance use was explored using the 1984 National Longitudinal Survey of Young Adults. Relevant research literature is reviewed. Cross-sectional data indicated that high school dropouts were more involved with cigarettes and illicit drugs than were graduates and that those who obtained a…

The study examines the relationship between success upon leaving an alternative school program and immediate measures of program effect. The strength of the relationship was used to determine the degree to which the program effected its long term goals of preparing students for future academic or vocational success. Student success was defined as…

An analysis of the 1981 high school graduating class in Mississippi suggests that greater earnings for students and increased state revenues from income and sales taxes would result if the dropout rate could be reduced to the national average of 10 percent. Subtracting from the total first-grade enrollment (1969-70) both the number of 1981 private…

This document reports on the first year of operation of Project ARJO: Academic Recovery through Job Opportunity, a program developed by Sandy Union High School District #2 in Sandy, Oregon under a Title VI Excellence in Education grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The primary objective of Project ARJO is the academic recovery of…

This document presents the findings and recommendations of a study that investigated students who leave school before graduating. The study attempted to determine the proportion of young people who leave school early versus those who graduate, and examined the subsequent schooling/training and job experiences of early leavers. The study…

Local school dropout programs are surveyed to identify the approaches used to prevent or overcome dropping out and to obtain views of local program administrators about dropout problems and programs. The programs had the following basic elements in common: (1) poor and minority teenagers who have multiple problems are targeted; (2) multiple…

At the University of Sydney (Australia) the undergraduate dropout rate is about 8 percent, with a rate of 10 percent for freshmen. The proportion is unevenly distributed across subject areas, with that in the arts and economics higher than that in the professional schools. The present study concentrates on the group of students who withdraw from…

A study was conducted to identify the characteristics of high risk students in selected Ohio Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs, and to describe the characteristics of the programs in order to identify program characteristics related to the retention of participants. Nine programs, selected to represent programs of various sizes (small, medium,…

A PROJECT TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM OF REHABILITATION THAT WOULD GUIDE SCHOOL DROPOUTS BACK TO SCHOOL OR INTO A LEARNING SITUATION THAT WOULD PROVIDE THEM WITH BASIC EDUCATIONAL AND JOB SKILLS WAS DESCRIBED. THE PROCEDURES OF THE PROJECT INCLUDED--DEVELOPING A PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE REHABILITATION OF DROPOUTS, RENTING AN OFFICE, HIRING ADMINISTRATORS,…

GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE TO INVESTIGATE AVAILABLE RESEARCH CONCERNING DROPOUTS, TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL DROPOUTS, TO IDENTIFY PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL, TO INCREASE THE SCHOOL-HOLDING POWER, TO EQUIP UNSKILLED STUDENTS WITH SKILLS, TO INCREASE VOCATIONAL, ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE AND INTERESTS, AND TO DEVELOP…

A GROUP OF 5,000 STUDENTS FROM GRADES SEVEN THROUGH TEN WERE STUDIED. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE GENERAL REASON FOR DROPPING OUT WAS DISINTEREST IN SCHOOL. ON THE AVERAGE, THE DROPOUT HAD FAILED THREE SUBJECTS--74 PERCENT WERE RETARDED IN ONE OR MORE GRADES. THE DROPOUT WAS A POOR READER, AND HIS SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE LEVEL WAS LOW. HE DID NOT WORK…