Robert Eschenauer

A Comprehensive Partnership Approach Increasing High School Graduation Rates and College Enrollment of Urban Economically Disadvantaged Youth

Described is a 4-year model of a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) offered to 294 academically and economically disadvantaged students and their parents during in- and out-of-school time activities through partnerships forged with school personnel and community-based agencies. In an urban high school where the annual graduation rate was below 60%, the graduation rate of the GEAR UP students of whom 60% were Hispanic and African American was 95%, while 58% enrolled in a postsecondary institution soon after graduation. Regardless of the time spent in three participatory conditions in the out-of-school time activities, 12th graders commonly believed that the program significantly helped them complete high school, prepared them for college, and showed them that adults cared about their future. A five-item survey completed by parents also revealed a number of highly significant findings. Quantitative, focus group, and interview findings corroborated and supported each other.

Counselor Active Rehabilitation Service and the Reduction of Hopelessness in Individuals with Dual Diagnosis Disorder

ABSTRACT The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effect of the counselor active rehabilitation service (CARS) counseling model compared to standard rehabilitation counseling in reducing the degree of hopelessness experienced by individuals with dual diagnosis disorders. This study involved 50 participants diagnosed with dual diagnosis disorder who were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group, with the intervention being the CARS counseling model. Results indicate a significant positive effect for the treatment intervention.