Factors placing students at risk include poverty, the hardships that come with minority status, the weakening of home influences, problems in school curricula, unsuitable educational standards for large numbers of students, lack of sensitivity to many students' needs, and emotional factors that lower an individual student's self-esteem. Individuals and organizations in both the public and private sectors are taking an active role in addressing the problems of students at risk. The more successful efforts are comprehensive and based on cooperation among the many sectors of the school and the community. They use research on effective schools, include staff development, and focus on prevention. Some programs also address specific youth issues like teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and teenage suicide. Descriptions of specific programs, list of resource organizations, checklists, and appended program descriptions and a sample policy on dropout prevention are included.