The nature of support for one aspect of rural growth and development is investigated by examining attitudes toward a growth centers policy. (NQ)

It took years of jobs, failed attempts at college, drug rehabilitation, and a jail sentence before Jason Dillingham found a career pathway. His high school education was a jumble of minimum requirements. Like nearly three-fourths of high school graduates, he wandered through on the "general track" without a specific goal. (Author/JOW)

Responses from 1,233 (of 2,278) Australian high school dropouts aged 15-24 who reentered school found most enrolled in innovative schools that they attended full time. They believe they are performing well, are confident of success, and are moderately positive about their school's support, services, and facilities. (SK)

Of 12,715 construction industry apprentices, 39% graduated, 47% canceled, and 14% were still enrolled. Completion was more likely in programs sponsored jointly by employers and unions. Women and ethnic/racial minorities had lower completion rates than men and whites. Duration of apprenticeship increased with the unemployment rate. (Contains 18…

Investigates the relationship between ethnicity and retention among families participating in a national network of home-based family support programs. Analyses indicate greater participation by African American and Latino parents as compared with European American parents. Retention predictors vary by ethnicity. Strategies to form a supportive…

Compared 93 children and adolescents who completed psychotherapy with 60 who dropped out after intake. At intake, groups did not differ on demographic, family, or clinical measures, including Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores. Six months and one year later, groups were compared again. No comparison showed significant main effects of therapy.…

There are many ways in which children and youth can become at risk. This article presents a taxonomy of conditions that may contribute to students being "at risk" in rural areas. (JOW)

Critical issues facing literacy educators working with women include honesty of their goals regarding empowerment; in what type of development should literacy play a role; elimination of the deficit or "rescue" perspective; literacy's contribution to the growth of community; and literacy as an instrument for the humanizing transformation…

The technique of phenomenography was applied to data from interviews with 20 workers having high school diplomas or less. Participation in organized adult education activities was found to be often other-determined, demonstrating that the concept of voluntary participation does not adequately address issues of power, authority, and control. (SK)

Task force convened by Harrah's Reno discovered students who work 15 hours or more weekly tend to earn lower grades, get involved in drugs, and drop out of school. Besides initiating voluntary work permit program providing positive work experiences for at-risk students, group devised mentor, chums, latchkey, self-esteem training, and parent…

Evaluates recent literature regarding schools' parental involvement efforts, chronicling programs describing diverse rationales and benefits for parent participation and presenting a taxonomy for classifying underlying reasons for low parent-school involvement. School-parent communications are the key to any intervention effort. Parent-involvement…

Offsets the depersonalization of the dropout challenge by taking readers backstage into the lives of students, the principal, and the culture of a North Carolina school addressing this challenge. At-risk students are progress oriented and need the security of structure and reliable adult behavior, the presence of caring adult leaders, and…

Staff at a Baton Rouge (Louisiana) elementary school devised an innovative program to introduce disadvantaged children to opportunities outside their ghetto neighborhood. The Discovery Expeditions plan attempted to address dropout prevention by increasing student awareness of resources and vocational opportunities in Baton Rouge and other areas,…

The article reviews efforts of the Campbell River, British Columbia, school district to integrate behavior-disordered secondary students into regular school programs served under the Rehabilitation Resource program. (DB)

While the Department of Education boasts lower of school dropout rates, graduation rates are also decreasing in some areas. Although the percentage of students graduating on time has remained unchanged, the percentage of noncompleters who eventually get a high school diploma (through a GED or alternative program) increases yearly. Inadequate…