For years, we have considered school dropout rates as a problem occurring at the high-school level. However, this is actually an issue that originates and develops in elementary school. In Do Children Drop Out of School in Kindergarten? Gregory Hickman and Randy Heinrich show how high school dropouts in many ways drop out of school long before they reach high school. Using a comprehensive systems approach, Hickman and Heinrich argue that our policy makers, educators, parents, and community members need to scrutinize our education system, moving past fixing short-term symptoms to engaging core, long-term problems for deep, effective change. For real change to take place, our national agenda needs to address the dropout problem at the elementary level, long before kids enter high school.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people in Hong Kong. The focus is on the extent of the phenomena, reasons behind it and a description of ‘out of school’ life. Employing qualitative research methods and adopting a case study approach that involved fieldwork comprising 15 in-depth interviews and 2 observations with 11 ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people, this book provides detailed insights into the phenomena. Information gained from an additional 22 in-depth interviews with 20 other stakeholders related to ethnic minority education, from time spent at three schools and key document analysis are also incorporated. Drawing on critical race theory, this book presents a critical discussion of the ‘out of school’ issue for ethnic minority young people in a privileged Chinese context.

Meeting a crucial need, this book presents effective prevention and intervention methods that can help all students stay--and succeed--in school. The authors emphasize that dropout is a process, not an event. They provide tools for identifying dropout risk (including academic, behavior, and attendance problems) and strategies for problem solving and data-based decision making at the elementary and secondary levels. Illustrative case examples and reproducible checklists and tools enhance this user-friendly resource. The print book has a large-size format to facilitate photocopying. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.