The first in a series, this study uses newly available data to describe the measurable changes in coursetaking, academic achievement, educational aspirations, and college enrollment rates of American high school students in the decade since the 1983 publication of "A Nation At Risk." The study's principal findings are: (1) high school…

This document describes research which investigated the effectiveness of the Cities in Schools (CIS) hypermedia training course for senior executives of that national dropout prevention program. The study employed a hybrid methodology of qualitative techniques and computer tracking tools, in order to provide a complete picture of how the…

In order to address gang concerns, educators should develop intervention strategies that keep youth from considering gang involvement. It is vital that schools reach the students before gang members are able to influence them. Intervention strategies should stress prevention, conversion, and address the causes of gang activity and not merely the…

This study applied the methodology of competing risks survival analysis to determine the probability that a student's first enrollment in the university will end in graduation, transfer, or withdrawal. The risk factors associated with each mode of exit were assessed, with attention to factors such as admission status, full-time or part-time…

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students regularly face obstacles during the transition to high school and have the highest dropout rate of all U.S. racial and ethnic groups. Educational theorists and researchers have various explanations for this high failure rate, each with its own prescriptions. These explanations include: (1) deficit…

This survey obtains information on: (1) the educational and employment activities of young people after they leave school; (2) the views and experiences that these youth have on school; and (3) background characteristics affecting these youth, such as parental level of education, social class, family circumstances, and housing tenure. The survey…

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth are used to estimate empirically the impact on the earnings capacities of young female dropouts if they were to return to complete either a regular high school education or a General Educational Development (GED) degree. To reduce the potential upward bias on these estimated rates of return,…

Navajo students have a 31% dropout rate, and it has been getting worse. Although considerable research has examined the reasons behind this dropout rate, little attention has been given to parental expectations of their children's education. Interviews with 45 parents of students attending Montezuma Creek Elementary School, a public school on the…

Previous explanations of teen pregnancy have often included uncritical use of the notion of adolescents "at risk." More recently, however, attention has shifted to structurally determined contextual factors to explain teen pregnancy. Such factors include economic and educational opportunities and costs, as well as chances for valued…

The transition from undergraduate to graduate school is a point when female students may lose interest in pursuing engineering degrees, and the percentage of women enrolled in engineering graduate programs is small in comparison to that of males. To attempt to mitigate the potential isolation of women graduate engineering students, the Women in…

In the past few years, there has been a groundswell of community partnerships to prevent crime and drug abuse. This compilation presents prevention strategies, rather than programs, to help communities focus on adapting and tailoring program ideas and crime prevention techniques to local needs and circumstances. The strategies described are…

Rather than studying the structural paths through which variables affect student persistence in education, this paper offers a reduced form model that focuses on precollege, demographic, and certain current achievement and financial aid variables. This approach does not specify structural paths, but it does have the advantage of requiring only…

This paper discusses the role of institutional researchers in changing attitudes within institutions of higher education on the importance of efforts to improve student retention. It describes activities undertaken at Virginia Tech to determine why students voluntarily withdraw from the university in the context of changing attitudes within the…

The Student Support Team (SST) is a school-based interdisciplinary team designed to maximize the resources and support available to teachers, students, and parents. This presentation describes its approach and operation. The SST attempts early identification of students at risk for school failure due to any combination of poor academic…

This factbook provides data on the well-being of South Dakota children. It is intended as a vehicle for policy makers, advocates, the media, and service providers to raise awareness on the status of children in South Dakota. Section 1 of the factbook is an introduction and overview on South Dakota demographics. Section 2 presents special reports…