Transcript Document

Dropout Prevention:
Recent Research and
State Policy Responses
Jennifer Dounay
Education Commission of the States
Presentation to Ready for Life Nevada Dropout Prevention Summit
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 12, 2008
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
Research (and common sense) –
and state policy responses
• Middle grades
• HS curriculum: Rigor and relevance
• Curricular supports: Remediation and
adolescent literacy
• Structure of day/week/year
• Push/pull: Parental involvement
• Adult advocates for at-risk students
• Early warning systems and use of data
Education Commission of the States
Middle grades
• Balfanz, Herzog, MacIver 2007 study
• Four grade 6 indicators:
– Failing English
– Failing math
– Attendance 80% or below
– One or more out-of-school suspension (=
failing “behavior” grade)
Education Commission of the States
State policy responses
• RI, LA: Supp. ed. programs/coaching for
students below grade level in reading,
math
• GA: Graduation coaches in middle
schools
Education Commission of the States
Rigor and relevance
• Numerous studies (and common sense)
• Rigor: higher expectations (+ supports)
• Rigor + relevance
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Dual enrollment
Early/middle college high school
Academics integrated in career/tech. courses
Proficiency-based credit
• Relevance: Individual grad. plans
Education Commission of the States
Rigor: Higher expectations
(and supports)
• “College/work ready” core = Min.
– 4 English
– Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II
– 3 lab sciences
– 3 social studies
• At least 8 states to require
• Alignment with college admissions reqts
(some states)
Education Commission of the States
College/work-ready core
• Key to consider:
– End-of-course or other means to
demonstrate attainment of standards
– High quality, targeted remediation
– Opportunity for integrated academic/CTE
– Teacher preparation, professional devt.
– Public awareness of, support for need
– Backmapping from HS to earlier grades!
Education Commission of the States
Dual enrollment
• RI: Poss. intervention for dist. w/
dropout rate > 15%
– Course fee waivers for free/reduced lunch
• OR: “Priority” for districts to inform
dropouts of Expanded Options
• LA: Articulated credit pilot
• IN: Fast Track to College
Education Commission of the States
Early/middle college HS
• Early college HS: diploma + AA in 5 yrs.
• Middle college: Some PS credits on PS
campus
• ECHS: State-level policies in 6 states (CO, MI, NC,
PA, TN, TX)
• No ECHS in Nevada?
• Model ECHS policy components:
– ECS October 2008 report: “Improving Outcomes for Traditionally
Underserved Students Through Early College High Schools”
– search doc 7863 on www.ecs.org
Education Commission of the States
Academics in CTE
• “Math in CTE” program
– CTE students better than controls
– Perf. same on CTE skills
• 2001 study of NELS data:
– Dropout lowest: 3 CTE units: 4 academic units
– Esp. for at-risk students
– Dropout increased when CTE ratio rose above this
ratio
Education Commission of the States
Academics in CTE (cont’d)
• Key state policy components:
– Include CTE courses as option in fulfilling grad.
reqts.
– Content stds. (reading/writing/math) that can be
integrated into CTE courses
– Allow demonstration of mastery of stds. via CTE in
lieu of academic courses
– PD for CTE and academic teachers to team teach
Education Commission of the States
Curricular supports: Remediation
• Key state policy components:
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Students ID’d early in school year, HS career
Schools/dist. required to provide
Students required to attend
Individual learning plan for every ID’d student
Program must be evaluated regularly, improved
based on evaluation
• October 2008 ECS report: “HS Remediation”
• ECS database
Education Commission of the States
Curricular supports:
Adolescent literacy
• Little focus on
literacy after grade 3
• Obvious: Literacy is
key to success in
core academics
Education Commission of the States
Adolescent literacy (cont’d)
• Some key policy components:
– Students grades 4-12 ID’d for diagnostic reading
assts.
– Literacy stds. aligned with curricula and assts.
– State supports for local literacy plans
– Teacher cert. includes adolescent literacy
– Teacher mentoring/induction in adolescent literacy
– Teacher PD in meeting adolescent literacy needs
– Principal incentives to build leadership in
adolescent literacy
• ECS 50-state policy database: www.ecs.org/hsdb-al
Education Commission of the States
Alternative pathways to standard
diploma
• August 2008 ECS report: “Beyond the GED”
• Key state policy components:
– Increasing upper statutory age
– Alternative means to demonstrate competency
– Flexible (but equally rigorous) credit recovery
• Online or computer-based
• Targeted to student need
– Flexible scheduling and courseloads
• Indiana School Flex program
– Funding systems to accommodate flexibility
Education Commission of the States
Push/pull: Parental involvement
• HS parents don’t always know what involvement
matters
• Areas of policy
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Developing formal policy
Reaching out on academic expectations
Accommodating parents’ needs
Building staff capacity
Building parent capacity
Developing benchmarks, evaluating impact,
revising policies as needed
• August 2008 ECS report (search doc 7848 on www.ecs.org)
Education Commission of the States
Adult advocates for students
• Georgia: Graduation coaches
– ID at-risk students, keep on track
academically
– AL now piloting program
• Colorado: School Counselors Corps
Grant Program
– Priority to schools w/above avg. dropout
rates
Education Commission of the States
Early warning systems/
use of data
• RI: State uses data for program improvement:
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HS suspensions related to truancy
# students re-enrolled in flexible schedule/CC prog.
# freshmen with personal literacy plans
# students repeating Algebra I or 9th grade math
# students repeating 9th grade
# students receiving remediation in 9th grade
• RI SEA annual report:
– Outcomes of district strategies to date
– How strategies will be modified, based on data
Education Commission of the States
[email protected]
Education Commission of the States