Social environment theory was used to determine the relation of adult dropout behavior to the social ecology of the classroom. The Classroom Environment Scale was administered to 77 adults in General Educational Development classes. Dropouts expected a classroom environment characterized by less social involvement with other students. (Author/CH)

The school dropout problem is discussed, with suggestions for parents on ensuring that their children do not become part of the dropout population, including; monitoring children's school attendance patterns; making sure children understand how important school and attendance is; maintaining close contact with teachers; and helping children…

An interdisciplinary intervention program for adolescent parents and expectant parents combined educational and counseling efforts within a regular school setting to provide information, support, and opportunity for personal growth. Program organization and implementation and implications for health professionals are discussed. (Author/DF)

Reports on a three-year study of youth released from correctional high schools. Only 1.6 percent of those released eventually finished high school after release. Recommends that correctional schools therefore teach life and work competencies rather than offer traditional high school classes. (CH)

This study challenged the assumption that all adults who did not complete high school are representative of the same low literate population. The 15-month qualitative study entailed conducting 79 in-depth biographical interviews with a diverse group of subjects. Several underlying concepts appeared to influence the adult development of the…

In this study, the data suggest that rising unemployment increases pupil motivation and thereby acts as an instrument of social control in schools as well as in the labor market; less equivocally, the data challenge current arguments alleging the demotivating and demoralizing effect of unemployment on school pupils. (Author/CT)

Addressed the therapy dropout problem by contacting 46 clients and assessing pretherapy to posttreatment follow-up changes in psychiatric symptoms. Results showed that the most common reason given for dropping out was no further need for services, which is inconsistent with the belief that dropouts are treatment failures. (LLL)

No state can afford to have the percentage of young people who are failing to finish high school remain at the present levels nor can they afford to ease the standards. This document discusses the following 10 strategies that states can implement to raise achievement and increase high school completion rates: (1) Initiate a transition program for…

Americans are beginning to recognize that many of the nation's high schools are in crisis, as policymakers, business leaders, and celebrities call attention to the country's low graduation rates. But the dropout problem, although severe, is only one indicator of the trouble plaguing the country's secondary schools. Because too many students are…

The notion that all students should finish high school has grown throughout the last century and continues to be an important goal for all educational levels in this new century. Non-completion has been related to all sorts of social, financial, and psychological issues. Many studies have attempted to put together a process that will identify…

This issue reviews grade span, or grade configuration. Catherine Paglin and Jennifer Fager's "Grade Configuration: Who Goes Where?" provides an overview of issues and concerns related to grade spans and supplies profiles of eight Northwest schools with varying grade spans. David F. Wihry, Theodore Coladarci, and Curtis Meadow's…

Studies of 1-year retention commonly use a binary outcome (retained after 1 year, yes/no) as the dependent variable. This paper examines the use of alternate specifications of 1-year retention that include information about spring semester stopout behavior. Different types of discrete choice models are first described, Next, the multinomial logit…

Critics claim that the "dropout rate" as currently used in Texas and other states captures only a snapshot of a group of students at one time. To expand ways of reporting school completion rates, detailed completion data were assembled for four cohorts of Texas high school students, the graduating classes of 1994 through 1997. Completion…

This opinion piece is drawn from experiences working with Texas educators and students, whose lives are now being more and more colored and shaped by an accountability system that is fast becoming the end rather than the means to better teaching and learning. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some accompanying…

The need for a better understanding of the value of adult education and its significance to successful rural development in Nigeria is urged in this article. (Author)