In 1999, the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA) to identify 10 promising and/or exemplary bilingual education programs in schools across the nation as detennined by participating limited English proficient (LEP) students' academic achievement. Using these programs, IDRA identified 25 common characteristics and criteria that are contributing to the high academic performance of students served by bilingual education programs, thus helping others identify successful programs or raise the bar with their own bilingual education programs.
The factors that contribute to student dropouts have been the focus of extensive deliberation during the last decade. Despite expanded attention, the number of dropouts remains unacceptably high. Drawing on the authors’ 17-year history of dropout research in Texas, Arizona, and across the country, this article describes the alarming dropout rates, especially among Hispanic students; assesses efforts that have been undertaken to address the dropout issue, including proven dropout prevention programs; and provides a new paradigm for preventing dropouts.
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