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,…

Uses a panel dataset for schools in large Texas cities to compare student performance gains in Dallas, site of a school-based incentive program, with those in four other cities. Results show positive, relatively large effects for Hispanic and white seventh graders, but not for black students or third graders. (MLH)

This report summarizes short-term impacts of the Quantum Opportunity Program (QOP) demonstration, which helped at-risk high school-age youth graduate and enroll in postsecondary education or training. QOP involved intensive case management and mentoring emphasizing after school supplemental academic education, developmental activities, and…

General Strain Theory (GST) argues that drug use is one way adolescents mitigate negative emotions brought on by aversive environmental stimuli. To date, many of the empirical tests of the strain-drug use relationship have neglected to include measures of negative emotion, despite its prominence in GST's etiology of deviant behavior. The following…

In an interview, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, director of the Congressional Budget Office, told National Public Radio's Terry Gross that determining the annual funding requirements for a program such as Social Security is relatively easy. According to him, health care is very different and is a lot harder to solve than Social Security. In this article,…

For more than thirty years, researchers have been interested in the issue of student retention in college. This study found that students who highly valued financial success were less likely to continue at the same institution from their first to their second year of college and were more likely to drop out of college than students who valued…

High rates of dropping out from mental health services are documented for children and their families. These high rates exist at different treatment stages, in different service settings, and for different populations of children and families. Some researchers have developed and tested engagement interventions to address barriers to service access…

The author of this article contends that the U.S. government, in conjunction with public and private sectors, are failing American society by failing the vast majority of America's urban youth. This failure is seen in America's public inner city schools where the numbers of students graduating from high school vs. the number of students…