This 1990 survey on American Indian education was conducted among 511 Native American tribal leaders, 227 (44.4%) of whom responded. The study found that 92% of Indian children attend state public schools. Fewer than 10% of Indian children attend Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools or tribally-operated schools. Only 52% of Indian students graduate…

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in Native American education at the middle school and high school levels. Issues and problems are: (1) factors contributing to high Native dropout rates, including teenage…

In 1988, a National Dropout Statistics Task Force (comprised of representatives from 27 states, 3 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia) was created to work with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to develop procedures for uniform counting of dropouts and dropout rate reporting. A standard definition was constructed for…

Summaries of 73 conference presentations dealing with youth at risk are divided into 6 sections, as was the conference. Section 1 "Understanding Students at Risk," identifies a variety of human services and insights along with suggested procedures for prediction and identification of youth at risk. Section 2, "Preventing and Reducing Incidents of…

This paper on postsecondary outcomes illustrates a technique to determine whether or not mainstream models are appropriate for predicting educational outcomes of American Indians (AIs) and Alaskan Native (ANs). It introduces a prominent statistical procedure to assess models with empirical data and shows how the results can have implications for…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) was conducted for the first time in 1991 as a way to collect data on the early childhood education experiences of young children and participation in adult education. Because the NHES methodology is relatively new, field tests were necessary. A large field test of approximately 15,000 households was…

This newsletter describes mentoring programs that have been successful in improving the academic achievement of at-risk Hispanic American youth. "Mentoring Programs Bring Results" (L. F. Cavazos) discusses how mentoring programs can help Hispanic American youth develop the skills needed for success while preserving their cultural…

A study examined dropout data from the 1980 Census and the October 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1985 federal population surveys to assess differences in the dropout and delayed schooling rates for males and females; Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics; and various age groups from 16 to 34. Principal findings include the following: the dropout rate for all…

Although the emphasis on adult literacy/basic education is increasing, the high dropout rate from programs in these areas is a concern. Why learners choose to participate or not to participate in such programs can be understood in terms of three sets of factors. Learner-inherent factors include self-evaluation, goals, and capabilities. Life…

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…