The Effectiveness of Social Work in an Alternative School for High School Dropouts

A Graduate School of Social Work and a Private Alternative School collaborated to develop an educational treatment program for high school dropout youth. The treatment program incorporated a mutual aid framework which was administered in the context of a multi-component treatment program. The treatment program is described in some detail including a Social Group Work approach for intervening with the youth. The outcomes of participants were evaluated utilizing several pretest to post-test measures of behavioral and academic functioning. An external criteria for success was also used. T-test analysis of pretest to post-test changes showed statistically significant progress on several measures. Analysis of the external criteria indicated a 73% success rate.