Investigates the effect of parents' mental illness on the schooling of their children. Finds that parents' mental illnesses increase the probability of high school dropout of children, though these effects differ markedly with disease. Also finds that parental mental illness has more consistently negative effects on girls than on boys. (Contains…

Young children are being fast tracked at early age because of pressures from parents, schools, society, and media. One result is troubled teenagers who experience stress of these pressures without having adult means to cope with them. Time spent with parents and in play activities are activities that help children to gain security, happiness, and…

A children's social health index calculated from six aspects of social health indicates that the social health of children is deteriorating in the areas of infant mortality, child abuse, child poverty, teenage suicide, and high school dropouts. (SH)

Although grade retention is widely practiced, it does not help children catch up or prevent school dropouts. In one study, children rated the prospect of flunking a grade as more stressful than wetting in class or being caught stealing. Remediation and other within-grade instructional efforts have a more positive success rate. Includes 16…

Discusses how business teachers can get students to stay in school and learn problem solving in context with teaching basic business knowledge and information processing and computer skills. (JOW)

Implemented Success in School program which focuses on dropout prevention with fifth-grade students (N=37). Self-reports indicated students saw themselves in a more positive light and were able to predict future successes for themselves. Recommends school programs that help students improve their self-esteem as strategy to reduce ultimate dropout…

Schools are experimenting with community service programs. Among these are service-based intervention programs for at-risk children and K-12 curricula of community service. Cites examples, the characteristics of effective programs, and proposed federal legislation. (MLF)

Notes that research suggests no significant difference in rates of dropout between adolescents and adults. Describes termination of psychotherapy with adolescent patient to examine specific quality of adolescent dropouts. Contends that strong counter-transference feelings evoked in therapist tends to maintain impression of adolescents' proclivity…

A telephone survey of 129 Iowa adults who had not completed high school determined reasons for lack of participation in adult basic education. Factor analysis of 32 reasons yielded 4 interpretable factors: low perception of need, perceived effort, dislike of school, and situational barriers. Low perception correlated with age and situational…

Using National Longitudinal Study Youth Survey data for 1,241 males and 1,143 females, runaway status in early adolescence--ages 14-15 years--was associated with subsequent--4 years later--substance abuse, alcohol problems, and school-dropout status. Gender and number of runaway episodes were considered. Repeat-runaways reported higher substance…

Dropping out from postsecondary schooling is widely considered a social problem. The two kinds of dropout behavior differ, since postsecondary enrollment is voluntary and high school enrollment is compulsory. This statistical study shows that the decision to enroll in college constitutes an experiment that might result in leaving college early.…

Presents interview and survey data collected from samples of economically disadvantaged Australian secondary school students and school leavers. Previous claims that students are unwilling to remain in school because they dislike schooling need closer examination. Blaming school structure and lack of teacher encouragement is not supported by…

A South Carolina school district is working with researchers at Johns Hopkins University on a long-term intervention plan to boost the district on-time graduation rate to 80 percent by the year 2001. Increasing students' chances of staying at grade level reduces the chances they will drop out. (MLF)

Effective schools research and techniques are useful in developing dropout prevention strategies. The success of these programs depends on a school's adherence to certain variables asssociated with teacher and administrator characteristics and behaviors, school climate, instructional emphasis, and pupil progress measurement. Includes five…

An exploratory study of five high schools involved in the Connecticut State Department of Education's Secondary School Development Project suggests that student performance factors (early termination, academic achievement, and student attendance) may be linked to effective school characteristics. This article summarizes the mixed results of the…