Participant characteristics and perceptions of a basic skills dropout prevention program

A major weakness of the dropout prevention movement throughout the country has been the lack of program evaluation. The purpose in the study was to examine and evaluate the long-range effects of a basic skills dropout prevention program on the lives of program participants, and to determine if background characteristics of participants influenced the impact of the program. The program studied and evaluated was a basic skills dropout prevention program serving a ten-county geographical area in upper east Tennessee. The program had been operational for three years and served economically disadvantaged at-risk high school students. Twelve hundred seventy-six (1276) subjects were included in the study population. These subjects had participated in the basic skills program during at least one of the first three years of operation (1987-88 thru 1989-90) and were enrolled in high school upon entry into the program. A random sample of 300 subjects was selected from the population. Data were obtained from existing records relative to program outcomes for the entire study population. Background characteristics were obtained from existing records of the participants selected in the random sample. In addition, responses to a survey instrument were obtained from the subjects in the sample. The program was found to have contributed significantly to the retention of students in school. Improvements in the areas of student performance in other classes, attitudes toward school, and self-esteem were found. The caring attitudes of the program's staff and the computer-based learning materials were found to be prime factors in the program's success. Interestingly, many of the participants in the program who had been identified as at-risk youth by teachers and counselors did not perceive themselves as at-risk.