Overview

ALAS (Spanish for “wings”) is an intervention for middle and high school students that is designed to address student, school, family, and community factors that affect dropping out. Each student is assigned a counselor/mentor who monitors attendance, behavior, and academic achievement. The counselor/mentor provides feedback and coordinates interventions and resources to students, families, and teachers. Counselors/mentors also serve as advocates for students and intervene when problems are identified. Students are trained in problem-solving, self-control, and assertiveness skills. Parents are trained in parent-child problem solving, how to participate in school activities, and how to contact teachers and school administrators to address issues.

Research

One study of ALAS met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. This study included 94 high-risk Latino students entering seventh grade in one urban junior high school in California. The study examined the program’s effects on whether students stayed in school and progressed in school. These outcomes were measured at the end of the intervention (ninth grade) and two years after the intervention had ended (11th grade).¹

Effectiveness

ALAS was found to have potentially positive effects on staying in school and potentially positive effects on progressing in school at the end of the intervention (ninth grade).