IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT 91 EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS FROM LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS HOMES, PROVIDED WITH A CAREFULLY DESIGNED 2-YEAR VOCATIONALLY ORIENTED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND PREVOCATIONAL DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION (DVR) COUNSELING, WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT TO THAT OF A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP ENROLLED IN A REGULAR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WITHOUT SUCH BENEFITS. DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM SCHOOL RECORDS, INTERVIEWS, CASE STUDIES, VARIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS, AND DVR RECORDS. THE EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER ATTENDANCE AND FEWER SCHOOL DROPOUTS, AND MADE A BETTER VOCATIONAL ADJUSTMENT THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT AS MEASURED BY SOCIAL MATURITY, PERCEPTION OF PEER ACCEPTANCE, PERCEIVED ANXIETY, AND ABILITY TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATENESS OF CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OR GOALS. ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES FOR THE TOOL SUBJECTS OF ARITHMETIC, READING, AND SPELLING SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN AMOUNT GAINED. SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION WERE THAT SPECIALLY TRAINED ADMINISTRATIVE AND TEACHING PERSONNEL SHOULD BE EMPLOYED FOR THIS KIND OF PROGRAM, THE RATIO OF TEACHER TO YOUTH SHOULD BE NO GREATER THAN ONE TO 20, AND THE CURRICULUM SHOULD BE FUNCTIONAL, INDIVIDUALIZED, AND VOCATIONALLY ORIENTED. A REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE, A COMPLETE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND PROGRAMING ARE INCLUDED. THE STUDY IS SUMMARIZED IN VT 004 114. (ET)