MELISSA RODERICK is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago where she teaches courses in social policy, program evaluation, and quantitative analysis. She is interested in the social and academic development of adolescents and the determinants of successful transitions to work and adulthood. Her research focuses on the influence of school organization, policies, and practices on student outcomes, and issues in urban education and youth policy. She is currently studying curriculum tracking in high schools.

• Introduction and Overview The Policy Context: A Profile of the High School Dropout Problem School Dropouts: A Literature Review Examining the Relationship Between School Experiences and School Dropout: The Fall River Survey What Do the School Careers of Dropouts and Graduates Look Like? School Transitions and School Dropout: A Model for Investigating the Impact of School Transitions Grade Retention and School Dropout: Investigating the Association The Two Dropout Problems: A Framework for Dropout Prevention Policy Policy and Research Implications Appendixes Bibliography Index