Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education Educational Resources Information Center ERIC DIGEST Alternatives for At-Risk and Out-of-School Youth

At risk is a problematic term, a label that may place students at more risk than internal and external factors (Sanders 2000, p. 3). Many youth at risk are not well served by mainstream schooling, and in this era of standardized testing the stakes are high for them and for schools (Raywid 2001). Thus, educators are considering alternative ways to help these youth succeed in school and beyond. This Digest examines research on what makes alternative programs effective environments for youth at risk and describes programs in which these factors play a key role. Who is at risk and at risk of what? Common definitions of who cite members of disadvantaged groups, those who experience difficulty in academic and social domains, and those in both categories (Croninger and Lee 2001). What means academic failure, dropout (with dimin-ished prospects for future employment), or participation in risky behav-iors such as substance abuse and criminal activity (Lewis 2003