Public schools in Manitoba (Canada) are encountering an increasing number of students who are considered to be educationally at risk. This paper addresses the provision of effective services relating to at-risk youth and the prevention of early school dropouts. The paper's first section covers the circumstances and conditions associated with early school dropouts including those conditions found in the academic, school/social, home/school, and personal/social atmospheres. The second section examines a number of personal, social, and academic factors that lead to educational disadvantages as well as school-related practices that researchers have identified as having a high correlation with students who fail to complete their schooling with an adequate level of skills. The third section examines the issue of early school dropouts and reviews the key criteria related to assessing the extent of the problem, the characteristics of early school dropouts, and the factors contributing to their decision to leave school. The paper's fourth section outlines a range of possibilities for meeting the needs and addressing the problems of at risk youth. (Contains 79 references.) (GLR)