Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Syracuse University, 2007. / "Publication number: AAT 3295531."

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-171). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

An in-school suspension program was planned for the target high school, as a viable alternative to the placement of students outside of the school environment for discipline reasons. The urban target high school also has adopted an in-school suspension program in recognition of the need for more effective disciplinary procedures. Although the discipline policy has been very effective in most cases in the past, there are students who are suspended who have serious problems that can only be corrected with counseling, a component present in the in-school suspension program. If discipline is to improve then special attention must be given to these students to meet their emotional and psychological needs not only their academic needs. An in-school suspension program allows a student who has arrived at a point of suspension to remain in school for his/her suspension; to keep up with academic work and receive credit for academic work done during suspension; yet at the same time, to be held responsible for his/her actions and to be given counseling to enable the student to avoid behavior that could account for any further suspension. Students who had participated in the program, their parents and teachers were surveyed during four semesters. The results of the surveys showed that the three constituencies were favorably disposed to the in-school suspension program and that the program was beneficial to the student. Although in-school suspension is not a cure-all, more schools should consider the in-school suspension program as an alternative to their out-of-school suspension. However, there have to be assurances that the counseling which was initiated in in-school suspension will continue after the student leaves the program. Also there has to be a way of actively involving more parents in the program other than their appearance at the time of the student's reinstatement to class.

This study was conducted in 12 high schools in Massachusetts that were funded for dropout prevention. Reports indicated that some of these schools were more successful than others in reducing the dropout rate. The purpose of the study was to identify variables existing in these high school programs that are associated with increases and decreases in the dropout rate. The study sought to test the hypothesis that schools that were strong in student support were successful in reducing the dropout rate. A conceptual map was developed showing hypothesized causal relationships among variables. In the map, interventions were framed as variables (e.g., "the extent to which teachers are expected to attend workshops to develop strategies for communicating, understanding and teaching the at-risk students"), and the impact of changes in such variables was traced to the ultimate variable "willingness to keep trying." Immediately before arriving at this final variable, the paths from each of the intervention variables passed through one of four "proximate" variables: the extent to which at-risk students experience their academic tasks as involving, sense of belonging, the instrumental value of graduation, and the perceived likelihood of school success. The trust of this dissertation was developing this map and testing the extent to which there was a relationship between efforts that appeared to be likely to change these proximal variables (taken one at a time) and a district's dropout rate. A questionnaire was designed that asked questions relating to the four proximal variables, as well as how well each school's dropout-related efforts appeared to be organized, focused and coordinated in a coherent manner. Additional questions sought to see what else might be happening in the school that might impact the dropout rate. The results indicated that two of the key proximal variables correlated positively and all four approached significance on a stepwise regression analysis. During the study "program coherence" emerged as an important variable and also proved significant in impacting the dropout rate.

Thesis (Ed. Spec.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references.