Instead of blaming student academic failure on socioeconomic background, practitioners must identify school-related variables predicting dropouts in their own school. Educators should identify every student dropout during the past five years; examine cumulative folders for grades, absenteeism, and other factors; identify common predictors; and…

To improve its alarming dropout rate, a southwestern Texas school district instituted the PRIDE Center, an alternative high school featuring self-paced curricula and flexible timetables for beginning and completing coursework. School social workers formed an ancillary coalition of community, business, and family forces to support prevention,…

The Vocational Program Evaluation Profile represents a dropout prevention model for students enrolled in vocational special needs programs. The model includes self-identification of reasons for dissatisfaction as well as suggested counseling and instructional strategies. (DB)

In the Pennsylvania Youth Apprenticeship Program, students attend class three days per week and work in manufacturing-related industries the other two. The success of the program depends primarily on the quality of teachers and mentors and industry's willingness to cooperate. (JOW)

Minneapolis' Connection Center provides interim education for dropouts in a permanent alternative setting. History Alive! uses problem-solving group work, interactive slide lectures, experiential exercises, response groups, and interactive writing to engage learners in social studies. (SK)

Compares two educational indicators that highlight similarities between South Africa and United States. The first, school funding--measures a nation's commitment to education; the second, school dropout rate--measures students ability or desire to respond to that commitment. Identifies educational lessons both can learn from each other. Contains…

A three-year study compared 121 at-risk nursing students participating in Partnership in Learning for Utmost Success (PLUS) and 89 nonparticipating students. PLUS participants were more successful in terms of retention, grade point average, and graduation rate. (SK)

Examines the complex social and educational problem of school failure in Portugal. Defines school failure's place within the Portuguese educational system and traces its causes. Explores forms of assessment in elementary and secondary education, analyzing them in terms of student achievement rates and dropout rates. Discusses measures currently…

Explores alternatives for reporting state dropout data and high school completion rates based on Common Core of Data information. Analyses find that the major types of nonstandard dropout reporting practices have statistically significant, but different, effects on the size of state dropout rates. (Author/SLD)

A workplace literacy program provided instruction in prose, document, and quantitative (PDQ) dimensions of literacy to 50 female high school dropouts. Only 20% completed the program; they made meaningful gains in the quantitative and document dimensions, but not prose. (SK)

Surveys alcohol and drug-use behaviors in relation to HIV/AIDS risk among 212 youth in dropout-prevention programs. Alcohol and drug use and age of sexual initiation are significantly associated with high risk. HIV/AIDS-prevention programs need to target alcohol and drug use as important influences on risky sexual behavior. (MKA)

Guidelines for preventing school failure include: (1) recognize early signs of potential failure; (2) build student motivation; (3) utilize students' developmental paths; (4) design focused and interesting curriculum activities; and (5) select motivating management and teaching strategies. (Contains references.) (DB)

Multiple correlates and determinants of antisocial behavior within the home, community, and school are reviewed. A variety of contextual factors and setting events within the schools are found to be major contributors to antisocial behavior, and some of these factors are identified within the home. Increased attention to these setting events is…

Presents 1979, 1989, and 1997 data comparing dropout rates among Hispanic Americans and other ethnic groups by recency of migration. As a whole Hispanics drop out of high school at higher rates and attain lower levels of education than non-Hispanics. (Author/SLD)

Examined characteristics of community college students who enrolled but left before the census date. Data from telephone interviews and the institution's student information system indicated that the size of the disappearing student population was about 10 percent of the total enrollment. Nearly two-thirds were gone before the semester began, and…