One California high school's dropout intervention program succeeded because it was organized to meet student, not organizational needs. The program also had highly motivated administrators, outstanding teachers, student and teacher incentives, secure funding, and orientation toward positive self-image. (MLH)

Administered questionnaire to 120 adolescent offenders in detention centers to study rock music preferences and views of themes advocating homicide, suicide, and satanic practices (HSSR). Found that HSSR fans were more likely to be white, school dropouts, and spend more time listening to music. Findings suggest relationship between preference for…

The greatest deterrent to drugs and gangs is a full, high-quality student activity program. Cocurricular activities offer peer counseling groups, nurturing clubs, relationship building, and enormous support for youngsters at minimal cost. Potential dropouts can be engaged by car clubs, job opportunities, and computer use programs. Eliminating…

A program sponsored by Pepsi-Cola Company is designed to provide students in inner-city school districts with reasons for staying in school. Incentives for students include scholarship credit of $250 for each semester in which they maintain a C average; mentor-teachers receive $1,000 for continuing education, classroom enhancement, or the…

Compared drug involvement among 203 low-risk typical high school students and 160 youths at high-risk for school problems and dropping out. High-risk students, compared to low-risk youth and national statistics, endorsed much greater breadth and depth of drug use, greater access to drugs, less drug use control, and greater adverse consequences…

Despite variation in structure and activities of campus retention programs, successful programs are similar in the way they approach retention, emphasis given to retention efforts, and objectives. Focus should be less on what types of programs retain students and more on how and why programs have been successful. (Author/MSE)

Derived profiles of college students likely to be retained versus not retained from sample of 934 entering freshmen who completed general attitudinal questionnaire containing noncognitive item measuring positive self-concept. Results pointed to several important differences between potential persister and nonpersister students. Gender differences…

Examines the role of People's Colleges in Sweden in working with dropouts. Evaluates the effectiveness of labor market-oriented education in helping dropouts achieve employment or continuing their education. (SK)

Examined the link between delinquency and school behaviors separately for 267 African-American and 269 White males at risk for delinquency. Class absenteeism was related to higher incidence of minor and serious delinquency, and for African Americans, poor grades and dropping out were predictive of both types of delinquency. (SLD)

A new federal regulation requires that both students and institutions repay the portion of student aid not used for education. Students must repay the "unearned" portion, less a 50% discount; colleges must return the portion of student aid that does not cover the period in which they were enrolled. Critics include community colleges,…

Used data from a sample of Australian teenagers to investigate neighborhood effects on school dropout rate, examining both small and large neighborhood effects. Student surveys indicated that the educational composition of the larger neighborhoods influenced dropout rates, and the low socioeconomic status of the immediate neighborhood had an…

Explores the increased level of interest in retention rates among full-time, undergraduate students, considering the interests served by the state, universities and colleges, and students, and suggesting that as British higher education moves from an elite to a mass system, the elite instincts continue to dominate, working against student…

Interviews with 40 students planning to take the General Education Development test disclosed that less than half had been involved with gangs. Most saw urban teachers as powerless, mentioned adverse circumstances and feelings of hopelessness, and viewed the GED program as a rite of passage and achievable goal. (MLH)

Discusses 15 effective strategies for dropout prevention identified by the National Dropout Prevention Center, plus a specific set of six program solutions and strategies as alternatives to grade retention. Describes the center's promotion-with-purpose policy, along with exemplar programs for school leaders to use in designing alternatives to…

Investigates whether state course graduation requirements affect high-school dropout decisions, using aggregate data on dropout rates, individual data from two time periods, and aggregate data on high-school completion rates over 15 years. Results strongly suggest that state-mandated minimum course requirements cause students to drop out.…