Reviews approaches using computer-assisted instruction that may be effective strategies to use with at-risk students. Highlights include developing an Individual Educational Plan (IEP); criteria for selecting appropriate educational software; keeping parents informed; the use of multimedia; high standards and performance-based evaluation; and…

Describes a five-year follow-up of first-time, full-time community college students in Kansas, detailing academic, personal, and career experiences from first college entry to subsequent transfer/employment, as well as variables affecting progress. Over 75% achieved their objectives; financial problems, lifestyle changes, and change in goals were…

Describes an effective dropout prevention program at an Orlando, Florida, middle school. Staff identified 90 at-risk seventh graders, assigning 45 to 3 seventh-grade teaching teams and the remaining 45 to an experimental student team (the Dragons) promising to deliver a traditional curriculum in a nontraditional, nonremedial way. Shadow study of…

Profiles educational outcomes produced by rural schools, based on four indicators (student achievement scores, student participation rates, measures of student behaviors and attitudes, and measures of postschool outcomes) likely to be stressed in the unfolding public education performance debate. Although NAEP assessments compare favorably with…

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) was established to develop technically informed leadership within the Indian community by significantly and quickly increasing the number of American Indian scientists and engineers, ensuring professional growth, and developing Indian leaders through precollege culturally sensitive camps,…

The adjustment of 130 high school graduates and 70 dropouts, all with behavioral disorders, is investigated, focusing on employment, living arrangements, leisure activities, coping mechanisms, and difficulties with law enforcement. Employed versus unemployed individuals are compared in terms of gender, vocational training received in high school,…

Project Achieve, New York City's new dropout prevention program, might benefit from the failures of the city's earlier Dropout Prevention Initiative. Project Achieve will organize all ninth and tenth grade students into houses, integrate support and academic staff, and achieve maximum personnel continuity throughout a student's high school career.…

A discussion of the transition from high school to college outlines three principles of program planning for this group: helping first-year students see college as the beginning of a discovery process; exposing them to intellectual issues and experiences; and helping them accept responsibility for their own future. (MSE)

A study of 76 college students with learning disabilities (LD) participating in a liberal arts college LD program found that students with more inclusive, less structured supported programs within the secondary school settings were more successful in graduating from college. Although neither performance nor full-scale IQ interacted with these…

Describes a research project that investigated: why preservice teachers in the United Kingdom withdrew from initial teacher training; how those reasons correlated with the views of schools where students completed student teaching; and measures administrators could take to reduce withdrawal rates (e.g., focus on how to change the interview process…

In Austin, Texas, an urban district where more than half the students come from low-income families, the annual dropout rate has gone down, and the scores on statewide standardized tests have gone up. A key element in the turnaround is state-mandated, site-based management, a system that decentralizes decision making and involves strong leadership…

Examines the impact and implementation of the Community-Based Education for Work, Career and Life (CWCL) pilot project in Canada. Subjects were classes from two elementary and one secondary school. Subjects visited community workplaces and participated in small group hands-on activities. A discussion of the findings is included. (SNR)

Examined the influence of faculty active-learning practices on student departure decisions in the context of Tinto's Theory of College Student Departure. Path analysis results of three surveys of 718 first-time, full-time, first-year students at a highly selective private research university found that active learning exerts statistically reliable…

This study of community college students investigated predictors of student dropout in distance education courses. Considered locus of control, gender, number of distance education courses completed, age, financial assistance, and number of hours employed, and used correlation and discriminant analysis to show locus of control and financial aid…

School accountability report cards generally focus on standardized test scores, dropout/graduation rates, and postgraduation plans. Citizens also want information on safety, teacher qualifications, and average class size. Administrators should define their audience, clarify purpose, carefully select indicators, and consider format, presentation,…