A practicum addressed the problem of low self-esteem of at-risk students by developing and implementing a 12-week dropout prevention program for 19 eighth-grade students in urban, middle class school. The program used five basic strategies for raising self-esteem: affective skills training (using role playing, mapping, and brainstorming to help students learn to make decisions and solve problems), remediation of basic skills, implementation of an in-house mentor/protege program (in which each student had a "friend" on campus who offered support, encouragement, and understanding), and parent/teacher involvement. The program met affective and cognitive needs of students in a caring, supportive environment. Results indicated that students improved their basic skills in reading and demonstrated increased levels of positive self-concept. (Fifty-four references are attached. Extensive appendixes contain pre/posttest results, parent correspondence, program implementation information, instructional material, and evaluation forms.) (SR)