The alternative education program remains a viable response for engaging students who would otherwise be dropouts. Raywid (1994) synthesized and advanced an alternative school typology describing organizational characteristics with related effectiveness that appeared useful for considering and improving program practices. A Unique opportunity…

Assessed what urban African American custodial parents perceived as barriers to school involvement and strategies to facilitate involvement. Data from surveys of and interviews with parents of students at low-performing Florida elementary schools indicated that poor communication between home and school, lack of child care, and lack of…

Discusses the needs of homeless students, especially those with disabilities, suggesting some simple strategies for school personnel to help homeless students maximize their fullest potential (e.g., locating the students and bringing them to school for enrollment, providing transportation to school, offering nutritious meals and clean clothing,…

Describes the at-risk student population, identifies their learning characteristics and psychological needs, and presents the case for creating a sense of place for them as an effective educational intervention. Based on research studies, the paper contends that the ability to meet at-risk students' needs lies within an understanding of ecological…

Examines the literature on preventing firesetting behavior in preadolescents and adolescents, suggesting the need for policies and programs designed to help juveniles by providing community support and stability. Alternatives to juvenile justice interventions include making changes in the home environment, acquiring a greater sense of self, and…

Describes South Carolina's new state early childhood program, First Steps to School Readiness. Includes a profile of the state's at-risk child population, noting poverty and education risk indicators, and describing key program components. The article discusses program oversight, local program partnerships, program funding mechanisms, and local…

Examined the ability to classify students into different risk groups based on self-reported risk and protective factors. Data on rural honor society students and at-risk graduates and dropouts indicated that at-risk students differed from honor society students on demographic and school-related risk factors. At-risk graduates reported higher grade…

Followed 9th grade teachers and their students as they began a teaming initiative to address urban educational challenges. Results showed that teaming meant the development of an ethos of collaboration manifested in everyday interactions among team members. This enhanced teachers' ability to transform their world of work, though their…

Analyzed the effectiveness of a high school program designed to address student deficiencies in English skills while helping students develop an attachment to school within a traditional academic setting. Data analysis indicated that, as a group, students enrolled in the at-risk skills program improved their language and reading skills and…

Explored where bullying occurred, what kind of bullying happened, how often bullying occurred, and whom students confided in when bullying occurred at school. Surveys of rural 9th and 10th graders indicated that bullying was a very real part of their daily lives. Nearly 75 percent reported some type of bullying at school, and many observed…

Introduces a collection of papers that address the High/Scope Foundation's approach to risk reduction and dropout prevention. Examines High/Scope's history and describes various High/Scope efforts (e.g., the Michigan School Readiness Program Evaluation, preschool and elementary curriculum development and training, movement and music curriculum…

Describes results from the Perry Preschool Project, which began in 1962 to assess whether high-quality preschool programs would provide short- and long-term benefits to impoverished African American students. Longitudinal data indicated that compared to nonparticipants, participants had significantly higher earnings, percentages of home and second…

Discusses High/Scope's preschool key experiences (a set of 58 statements that describe young children's social, cognitive, and physical development). The key experiences are grouped into 10 major developmental areas (creative representation, language and literacy, social relations, movement, music, classification, seriation, number, space, and…

Describes the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum, an approach that supports young children's learning and enables children, particularly those at risk, to achieve greater school success and adult socioeconomic status. Discusses the central principles of curriculum: active learning, positive adult-child interactions, child-centered learning…

Presents findings from a longitudinal evaluation of the effectiveness of the Michigan School Readiness Program, which targeted four-year-olds at risk for school failure. Compared to nonparticipants of similar age and socioeconomic background, 24 percent more participants passed the grade 4 state literacy test, 16 percent more passed the…