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Dropout Prevention for Students with Disabilities: Lessons Learned National High School Center Summer Institute Advancing High School Student Success: Building Systems of Support National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities Clemson University LESSONS LEARNED Causes Problem behaviors coupled with academic difficulties or prior academic failures are key risk factors that are predictive of school dropout. Repeated use of exclusionary discipline practices, such as suspension, has been identified as one of the major factors contributing to dropout. High absenteeism and retention are serious risk factors for dropping out that can be monitored by schools. Academic progress and school completion are not equally distributed across disability, income, or ethnicity. How Do We Influence Dropout? School policies & procedures Structure & class assignment School size, transitions, tracking Course content & instruction Discipline, grading, standards, retention Boredom, curriculum quality Climate & relationships Alienation, negative interactions LESSONS LEARNED Consequences Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed or employed in low-skilled, lower-paying positions. Dropouts are more likely than high school graduates to need the support of living with parents in early adulthood, experience health problems, engage in criminal activities, and become dependent on welfare and other government programs. Dropouts are more likely to commit crimes as compared to students who complete school. Three to five years after dropping out, the cumulative arrest rate for youth with SED is 73%. LESSONS LEARNED Prevention Establish a leadership team to actively coordinate implementation of dropout prevention efforts Increase family engagement and school involvement Create school environments that are inviting, safe, and supportive Focus on effective instruction Create a local action team to analyze data and address dropout prevention at the local level Listen to students Administrators are key and their support is essential Intervene early, often as early as preschool Use proven practices Establish systems for routine monitoring of risk indicators associated with dropout LESSONS LEARNED Capacity Building Take a systemic approach to address dropout prevention Conduct causal analysis Use data to guide program development, professional development, and other school improvement efforts Consider multiple levels of implementation Examine the influence of other performance indicators on school completion N D PC -SD D ropout Prevention Intervention Fram ew ork © 2007 National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities at Clemson University – All rights reserved OUR IMPACT Improved awareness and understanding through increased access to evidence-based dropout prevention practices, interventions, and programs Increased state capacity to address dropout issues through development of a data–driven framework and provision of direct technical assistance, capacity building forums, and consultation to SEAs and LEAs Expanded state and local practices through intense technical assistance and coaching on the development of model sites that will serve as exemplars that others can replicate Contact Information Sandra Covington-Smith [email protected] NDPC-SD Clemson University 209 Martin Street Clemson, SC 29631 Phone: (864) 656-1817 Fax: (864) 656-0136 www.ndpc-sd.org