Designed for educational administrators, state-level personnel, program coordinators, teachers, and researchers, this monograph highlights five exemplary vocational programs serving individuals from special populations. Identified through an extensive national search in 1990, each program exemplifies successful practices for secondary and…

Children of migrant farmworkers are among the segments of the population most difficult to educate. Data from 1974 indicates the average migrant student had a 40% chance of reaching ninth grade, an 11% chance of reaching 12th grade, and a less than 10% chance of graduating from high school. Factors correlated with students quitting school are…

Although the level of funding for adult education programs in Pennsylvania was reduced from 1982-83 to 1983-84, progress was made in increasing the availability of adult basic education (ABE) programs throughout the State and in decreasing the overall rate of premature separations of students from ABE programs. Total hours of service to ABE…

The purpose of this report is to present the background and findings of a study conducted at Chemeketa Community College (CCC) during 1978-79 in which survey information gathered from former students and their employers was applied to a cost-benefit model to determine the usefulness of nine vocational programs. These programs were early childhood…

This is the second of a three-volume final report of a study to assess the effectiveness of secondary and postsecondary cooperative education programs in the nation's hundred largest cities and to analyze the postprogram experiences of participants and nonparticipants. This volume presents the findings of the 24-month followup study of students…

This report describes the status of public education in Texas, as required by Texas law. It contains an executive summary and 14 chapters on the following topics: (1) state performance on the academic-excellence indicators; (2) a summary compilation of overall student performance on the state performance assessments and a study of the correlation…

This document records the oral and written testimony from a 1999 Senate Committee hearing on "the forgotten half"--young people who do not continue their education past high school and, in many cases, do not finish high school. Witnesses testified that there is a great need for persons with technical skills to fill existing and projected…

A subgroup of the European Training Foundation's Advisory Forum held a roundtable discussion on vocational education and training (VET) against social exclusion. Representatives of the European Union (EU), all Central and Eastern European countries, and Kyrgystan focused on the following four topics: concepts and terminology related to social…

Students who successfully complete grade nine are substantially more likely to graduate from high school than are students who fail the freshman year. However, many middle grades students are not academically prepared for ninth grade. This report addresses five questions that can help school leaders ensure that middle grades students know the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of divorce on student's academic achievement. Whitehead (1997) states, at the beginning of the twentieth century, there were only three divorces for every 1,000 marriages. Through the years, the divorce rate in America has rapidly increased which has affected adults and children. The…

An unacceptable number of students appear to be at great risk of not attaining the education levels essential to become successful, contributing members of society. An array of agencies at community levels receive funding from various levels of governments to provide support services to address the various elements of risk. Yet the problem of…

As the high-profile Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) network of schools continues to expand, KIPP leaders are taking a close look at student attrition amid arguments from critics that the loss of students at some of those public schools of choice is alarmingly high. Attrition rates at a few KIPP schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, in…

Based on the assertion that punitive programs for at-risk students are ineffective, this book describes in detail how to start an effective alternative program to redirect the lives of at-risk youth. Following the preface, chapter 1 presents a historical background and an overview of alternative education. The second chapter describes strategies…

This newsletter reports the results of a study that explored the relationship between the organizational culture of secondary schools and students' progress, that is success, failure, and dropout. Three secondary schools were examined in the study, and the results showed that the organizational culture of schools is a useful concept for…

Dropout rates at the college and university level are much higher for students of minority cultures than for their majority culture peers. This paper suggests that the "revolving door" scenario of minority-culture college students can be stemmed by the proper use of mentoring. A combination of successful peers (interpreters), university…