Transcript Document

Dropouts and Dropout
Prevention
Jennifer Dounay
Education Commission of the States
Presentation to Colorado Dropout Prevention, Retention and Recovery
Summit
Mountain Range High School, Westminster, CO
December 5, 2007
About ECS
• 50-state education compact est’d 1965
• Nonpartisan, nonprofit
• Serves all state-level education
policymakers and their staffs:
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Governors
Legislators
State board members
State superintendents
SHEEOs and higher education boards
Education Commission of the States
Dropout Prevention: What States Are Doing
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Increasing rigor of HS curriculum
Student accountability
Graduation plans/career “majors”
Remediation
Early college high schools
Small schools/small learning communities
Alternative pathways to standard diploma
Middle grades efforts
Parental involvement
Ninth grade initiatives
Education Commission of the States
Increasing Rigor
• Supported by research
• At least 8 states: “College/work ready
for all”
• Too soon to tell for state efforts
• Local efforts (San Jose, CA) encouraging
Education Commission of the States
Student Accountability
• Upper compulsory school age
– Gets at “too much
freedom” cited by dropouts
• No pass/no drive: 27 states
• No pass/no play: 23 states
• Upper statutory age:
21 in 31 states
• Learnfare
Education Commission of the States
Graduation Plans/Career Majors
• Graduation plans: 9 states, will be 20 +
DC by 2011
• Career majors: 3-4 states, will be 5-6 by
2011
• Add relevance
• Not aware of research base
Education Commission of the States
Remediation
• Districts req’d to provide/student req’d
to attend
• Individual graduation plans for at-risk
students
• State requires districts to evaluate: 10
states
• Supported by research and dropouts
themselves
Education Commission of the States
Early College High Schools
• Combine HS w/Associate’s Degree (60 credits)
• Targeted to high minority and/or high poverty
– 2/3 African American or Latino
– 60% free/reduced lunch
– Center for Native Education: 18 sites in AK, CA, OR, WA
• State-level policies in 5 states (CO, NC, PA, TN, TX)
• Early returns positive:
– 90%+ attendance rates
– Promotion rates above 90%
Education Commission of the States
Small Schools/Small Learning
Communities
• More local than state-level response
• Research and dropouts’ experience
support
• NV: HS of 1,200+ students must
provide SLCs
• CA: Financial incentives pilot
• FL: Schools-within-a-school
Education Commission of the States
Alternative Pathways to Standard
Diploma
• KY: Credit recovery through
virtual school
• IN: School Flex program
• FL: Districts must provide:
– Alternative means of showing
competency
– Creative/flexible scheduling
– Credit recovery courses, intensive
math/reading intervention courses based
on FCAT scores
• FL: Dept. to provide more
applied, integrated courses
• NV: Earn HS credits while
working toward HS promotion
Education Commission of the States
Middle Grades Efforts
• FL, KY: Career awareness/planning as early as
grade 6
• FL: Middle grades course promotion policies
• FL: Intensive reading, math remediation for low FCAT
scorers
• NV: Include grade 6-8 dropout rates in state board
report
• MS: Pilot on building relationships, planning for
future, importance of staying in school
Education Commission of the States
Parental Involvement
• Addresses research, dropouts’ suggestions
• Areas of policy:
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Developing formal parent involvement policy
Communicating academic expectations to parents
Recognizing, accommodating parent needs
Building staff capacity to engage with parents
Building parent capacity to engage with fellow
parents, staff, and community members
– Developing success benchmarks and evaluating
impact
Education Commission of the States
Ninth Grade Initiatives
• NV: SLCs in large high schools:
– Designate separate grade 9 area
– Keep data on credits earned, attendance, truancy,
other at-risk indicators
– Offer timely ID of grade 9 student needs, i.e.,
remediation, counseling
– Increase parental involvement at grade 9
– Assign guidance counselors, 1+ licensed
administrator, adult mentors for 9th graders
Education Commission of the States
Mississippi Dropout Summit
• MS goal: reduce DO rate by 50% in 5 years
• “Destination Graduation” youth summit
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Why students drop out
Student perspectives on 5 state strategies
Identify add’l strategies not already in plan
Catalyst for action in each high school?
• America’s Promise summit in Feb.
– Present results of youth summit
Education Commission of the States
Last but Not Least
Dropping back in
• Upper statutory age
• Opportunities to earn
HS diploma at CC
• Flexible scheduling
• Career/next steps planning
Education Commission of the States
Want to Learn More?
• ECS Research Studies Database: www.ecs.org/rs
• ECS Remediation Database: www.ecs.org > HS Databases
• The Costs and Benefits of an Excellent Education for All of
America’s Children
http://www.cbcse.org/modules/download_gallery/dlc.php?file=35
• Coming soon! ECS database and policy brief on early
college high schools
• Coming soon! ECS policy brief on parental involvement at
the HS level
Education Commission of the States
[email protected]
303.299.3689
Education Commission of the States