At each education juncture, a significant number of Hispanic students drop out. Efforts must focus on improving rates of high school graduation, community college transfer, and student retention. Intervention strategies include dropout prevention, financial aid and college program, and exposure to fields in which they are underrepresented. (MLW)

The use of a comprehensive academic advising program in conjunction with a sustained academic orientation program through the freshman year has resulted in a 13.27 percent increase in the retention rate of high-risk students at a regional campus of Pennsylvania State University. The components of CORE are described. (Author/MLW)

Describes an intervention program (Understanding the University Experience) at Arizona State University for eighth grade Hispanic girls and their mothers with the long range goal of increasing the number of Hispanic women who attend college and complete baccalaureate degree programs and a shorter-term goal of preventing high school dropouts. (ABL)

The influence of an intensive two-day orientation to college on freshman voluntary persistence and withdrawal decisions was estimated with an explanatory causal model. Results suggest the major influence of orientation on persistence is indirect, transmitted through positive effects on student social integration and commitment to the institution.…

The main characteristics of education in Amsterdam, its problems, and how to cope with them are discussed. The educational system, primary education, state and local government, demographic and urban developments, secondary education, dropouts, and special education are described. (MLW)

This report documents the extraordinary crisis facing Florida's public schools and provides evidence that Amendment 9--a proposed constitutional amendment to reduce class sizes--is a cost-effective and invaluable first step to rebuilding its troubled public schools. The report also sets the record straight about the long-term benefits of investing…

This document presents the transcript of a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Education Reform about state and local level special education programs that work and federal barriers to innovation as part of efforts to reform the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Highlights of the testimony include: (1) progress in New York in…

Synthesizing research on effective at-risk/dropout prevention programs and the learning theory articulated in the American Psychological Association (APA) Learner-Centered Principles, this study examined the essential components present in an exemplary at-risk/dropout prevention program for kindergarten through sixth grade students. The…

The Behavioral Coaches (BC) is a comprehensive program designed to assist those students who demonstrate significant behavioral difficulties in school and are at serious risk of school failure or of dropping out of school. BC provided direct services to middle schools identified by the District as being in need of additional school support for…

This study documents visits to a follow-up counselor at Gavilan College (California) beginning in the fall of 2000. Students on dismissal are required to visit a counselor prior to enrolling to assist them in designing an achievable academic plan. The goals of the follow-up counseling include: (1) helping students raise their grade point averages…

This paper examines the impact of migration on educational attainment in rural Mexico. Using historical migration rates by state to instrument for current migration, we find evidence of a significant negative effect of migration on schooling attendance and attainment of 12 to 18 year-old boys and 16 to 18 year-old girls. IV-Censored Ordered Probit…

This publication describes an effort of the U.S. Department of Education to promote comprehensive educational reform by consolidating various elements and programs. The "cross-cutting" approach described considers the links among vocational-technical education, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, and workforce…

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) provides a wealth of information about factors that influence academic performance and social development of students. The focus of this content overview is the research issues addressed by the NELS:88 second followup in 1992. In 1988, by surveying nearly 25,000 eighth graders, their…

The relationship between basic skills support, dropout rates, retention, and achievement in further education colleges was examined in a study of the 15,579 full-time students who were assessed at the time of their entry into 15 English and 3 Welsh general further education and tertiary colleges. On average, just under one-third of the students…

This evaluation of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were instructional and direct…