Becky Jon Hayward
Published: 1995
Total Pages: 260
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An evaluation was conducted of a 3-year demonstration program the purpose of which was to demonstrate the efficacy of projects that included vocational education as a key component in encouraging at-risk youth to remain in or return to school. Six of the 10 project grantees, funded under the Cooperative Demonstration Program of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, were evaluated, using process and outcome information from 12 localities. The study found that only one-third of the projects achieved significant reduction in the number of participants who dropped out of school. Projects were generally more successful, however, in improving participants' school performance and affiliation, with 10 of the 12 demonstrating increases in participants' grade point average, 7 showing reduction in number of courses failed, and 7 showing improvements in participants' perceptions of the safety of their school environment. Among the components that appeared to be critical for improving the persistence and educational success of at-risk youth are the following: (1) a smaller, more personal environment, such as that available in the school-within-a-school and alternative school environments; (2) a structured environment that includes clear and equitably enforced behavioral expectations; (3) vocational education that integrates academic education and leads to good entry-level jobs or continued training at the postsecondary level; (4) formal, ongoing coordination of the academic and vocational components of participants' high school programs; (5) a formal counseling component that incorporates attention to personal issues along with career counseling, employability and life skills instruction; and (6) personal, supportive attention from adults through mentoring or similar projects. (The report includes separate evaluations of each site, 13 tables, and 3 appendixes that report on the study methodology.) (KC)
