In 1991, a study was conducted to determine perceptions regarding the deterrents to college attendance among adult learners in an isolated northern community. The study consisted of a survey of 40 students at the Fort Nelson campus of Northern Lights College (NLC) in British Columbia, and a follow-up interview of eight of the survey respondents.…

A lack of education is a major cause of poverty among many Kentucky citizens. In 1986, Kentucky's dropout rate was the second highest of the 50 states. That same year, Kentucky established the Parent and Child Education (PACE) Program in an effort to combat the problems of insufficient education and poverty that tend to be perpetuated from…

In 1990, the Native American Prevention Project of AIDS and Substance Abuse began to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally sensitive in-school prevention programs for Navajo youth and their families. This project paper combines ethnographic interviews and observations with baseline quantitative data collection. A baseline survey of 174 9th-…

Conditions that foster and hinder participatory research are examined, using examples from one such research project aimed at dropout reduction undertaken with students in a "last chance" high school. The 13 student researchers sometimes used racial, gender, and social class differences to gain power and display undemocratic behavior within the…

Information is provided on factors associated with the effectiveness of continuation high schools in California. This Phase 2 report (following a Phase 1 study of 54 schools) is based on information gathered from 10 schools that were selected as among the more effective in the state at retaining students in school and graduating them.…

The issues facing urban Appalachian children and their families in Cincinnati (Ohio) are addressed. Appalachians have the highest school dropout rate in Cincinnati proportionate to their numbers, with low access to jobs and generally poor access to, and use of, public services. Much of the information for this report comes from a survey of 246…

This book originally written in 1978, houses a pessimistic view of American culture that the author sees no reason to modify. The central argument is that the national faith in individual initiative and free opportunity has become a breeding ground for guilt about our own limited successes and prejudice against all who exhibit signs of failure.…

Portfolio evaluation process promotes thinking while it minimizes multiple-choice mentality. Some educators find that reviewing with the students what they learned, with consideration for the structure of knowledge, provides self-confidence for the pupils' next try. They need self-confidence to critique each other's work, before the teacher…

This study collected data on 413 students who exited North Dakota special education programs in 1988, including exiters who had graduated with a diploma, special diploma, or certificate; earned a General Educational Development certificate; or dropped out. Data were evaluated concerning demographic and educational characteristics of respondents,…

A study was conducted at Sacramento City College (SCC) to determine the effects of enrolling in a first-semester student success course on academic performance and persistence. Matched pairs of students, one who took the semester-long success course and one who did not, were compared in terms of number of college credit hours completed, grade…

This document contains information about student membership in the Colorado public schools as of fall 1997. At that time, there were 687,167 students in Colorado's public schools, an increase of 2.0% over the fall 1996 membership. This increase was greater at the secondary level. Beginning in fall 1990, membership each year has surpassed the…

This monograph draws upon theories of student involvement and persistence to demonstrate how cultural activities can involve and serve to validate underrepresented groups on campus. A critical element of minority student academic persistence is the extent to which students become integrated into the academic and social systems of their…

A disproportionate number of Hispanic/LEP students are leaving school in the ninth grade. Although dropout programs exist in Florida county school districts, none addressed the special language and culture difficulties, often coupled with socioeconomic problems, of these students. This practicum was designed to reduce the number of Hispanic/LEP…

The Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) held joint sessions to hear testimony on important issues in American Indian education. This document presents statements given at 15 topical sessions and 3 additional sessions held for special groups. The 15 topics addressed were: teaching Native…

This journal supplement provides graphs, tables, and narrative to summarize the current status of special education in the United States. The information is based on data from the following sources: "The 15th Annual Report to the Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act"; "The 1990 Elementary and Secondary…