1. 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

2. Education Commission of the States About ECS 50-state education compact est’d 1965 Nonpartisan, nonprofit Serves all state-level education policymakers and their staffs: –Governors –Legislators –State board members –State superintendents –SHEEOs and higher education boards

3. Education Commission of the States Dropout Prevention: What States Are Doing 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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%

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Education Commission of the States Parental Involvement Addresses research, dropouts’ suggestions Areas of policy: –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

13. 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 9 th graders

14. Education Commission of the States Mississippi Dropout Summit MS goal: reduce DO rate by 50% in 5 years “Destination Graduation” youth summit –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

15. 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

16. Education Commission of the States Want to Learn More? ECS Research Studies Database: www.ecs.org/rswww.ecs.org/rs ECS Remediation Database: www.ecs.org > HS Databases www.ecs.org 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 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

17. Education Commission of the States jdounay@ecs.org 303.299.3689