Because dropouts are more likely to be a liability than an asset to society, it is important that effective dropout prevention programs be developed and implemented in the primary grades. Effective programs recognize that students have more differences than similarities and that the same program cannot meet all needs. Efforts, therefore, should be made to increase public awareness of the dropout problem, ensure funding for additional guidance counselors, provide training for teachers working with dropout-prone students, and revise criteria for adult education and general education development programs. Among dropout prevention programs in South Carolina and other States are a teen parent program, an intervention program for students with behavior problems including substance abuse, part-time employment, school-at-work transition programs, alternative education programs, and counseling and tutorial programs for at-risk students. Recommendations for dropout prevention at the State and local level are provided. Data on dropout rates are appended. 5 footnotes.