SWAS: School within a School. A Middle Level Dropout Intervention Program.

This report describes the success of SWAS (School Within a School), an early dropout intervention program designed for average to above-average at-risk middle school students selected by the assistant principal. SWAS is a temporary self-contained institution within Davisville Middle School, North Kingstown, Rhode Island. As a prerequisite to student admission, SWAS teachers explain and get parents to "buy into" the program by signing contracts guaranteeing their involvement. Parents are required to come to one-a-month meetings with their child's SWAS teacher. Individual and group instruction are held in self-contained classrooms. As soon as the student demonstrates achievement and is recommended by the SWAS teacher, the guidance counselor, and the regular school receiving teacher, the student reenters the regular Davisville Middle School program. Students who do not meet reentry expectations must continue in the SWAS program. Of the former SWAS students who reentered the regular Davisville Middle School program, 84 percent improved their grades. In addition, Davisville's teachers felt that 100 percent improved their classwork, and that 95 pecent improved their attitude toward school. Parents responded quite favorably and found SWAS helpful to their sons and daughters. The appendixes include listings of criteria for entering and exiting the program. (JAM)