Linking Data, Policy and Practice to Improve Graduation Rates and Stem Drop Outs Michigan Association of State and Federal Program Specialists November 6, 2008 Rossi Ray-Taylor, PhD Ray.Taylor and Associates

Linking Data, Policy and Practice to Improve Graduation Rates and Stem Drop Outs This session uses data, policy and process review strategies to identify how school systems’ policies, traditions and practices contribute to low graduation rates and high levels of drop outs. This practical session equips participants with strategies that can be used in their district to improve graduation rates.

Introduction Overview What we will do today

The national & state picture Drop Out Rates Graduation Rates Changing Expectations Changing Definitions

Schools are designed for a 19 th and 20 th century vision of schooling Screen, sort and select

We have changed our expectations but have we really changed our practices?

Drop out factories Johns Hopkins University

What research says Changing trends -- students who drop out are more likely than ever before to have parents with high school diploma, and -- more likely to have the grades to complete high school

Dropouts miss more school than graduates – dropouts miss on average 124 days by 8 th grade (AZU study)

The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts A report by Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, March 2006

What students say Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard 80% did one hour or less of homework each day 2/3 would have worked harder if more was demanded (higher academic standards, more studying, more homework)

70% were confident they could have graduated if they had tried

Why they leave 1/3 said they left school because they had to get a job 26% said that they left because they became a parent 22% left because they had to care for a family member

35% said that “failing in school” was a major factor for dropping out 3 out of 10 said that they could not keep up with school work 43% said that they had missed too many days and could not catch up

45% said they started high school poorly prepared by their early schooling Students reported that additional supports in high school would have made a difference, but were not there 32% were required to repeat a grade before dropping out 29% had doubts that they could have met their high school’s graduation requirements even if they had put in the necessary effort

59-65% missed class often the year before dropping out 38% said that there was too much freedom and not enough rules

Several roads to dropping out of school Foster care Housing instability & homelessness Grade level retention 9 th grade failure Special education ( some designations e.g., EI and LD) Juvenile justice system encounters

School disciplinary encounters Absenteeism Tardiness Health issues Low income – need to work Pregnancy Parenthood & childcare

Language barriers Unmet GTE needs Mental health issues Erratic and poor instruction Immigration status complications Safety Abuse, harassment & bullying Substance abuse Run away

Parent issues can impact student dropping out Substance abuse Mental health issues Health needs Unemployment Immigration status Mobility Legal issues & incarceration

Quitting school is a gradual process that starts K-8

Critical Junctures Passage from pre-K to formal K-12 schools Movement from 3 rd to 4 th grade learning concepts and methods Movement into middle school 6 th or 7 th grade High school entry

Theory of Change Focus on school factors Research informed change Strong involvement of teachers & practitioners in research & problem solving Listen to students & their parents NO EXCUSES!!!

Focus on school factors – those things that schools can do But also recognize the value of coalition building with other service providers

Our challenge is to act but also to be focused and deliberate.

Examine policies and practices that serve as barriers and those that serve as catalysts to achievement

Policy Challenges examples Grade level retention policies Access to high level courses Tracking Attendance and tardiness policies Suspension and expulsion policies Homework policies

Systemic Barriers Location, location, location – ongoing racial and economic segregation Unequal school resources Unequal academic opportunities Differential teacher quality Differential discipline From Race Matters; by The Annie E. Casey Foundation

How does the decision to drop out look from the student’s point of view?

Sometimes students even have a plan Work a while and get diploma later Enroll in a charter, alternative school or other institution Get GED Join the military Transfer to another school Enroll in an adult education program

Case Study A few weeks of bad choices The challenge: At what point are the consequences for bad decisions made at 14 or 15 years old too high and life changing. There are no easy or readily available doors back into the system – no “do- overs”. What were the early signs and what could have been done differently to avoid failure? How could Crystal’s academic needs have been met at a level that challenged her?

Research driven school design

Are we pushing kids out? Are we helping them to successfully navigate the system? Are we ignoring their individual needs?

What schools can do Improve teaching and curriculum (alignment, rigor, relevance) Improve, evaluate and monitor access to supports for struggling students Better yet become proactive – don’t wait for failure

Provide re-entry opportunities…with peers their age Vary the skill levels, all returning students may not be failing Build a school climate that fosters academic success

Assess carefully from the student’s eye view what it takes to navigate the school environment Ensure that each student has a strong relationship with at least one adult in the school

Improve the communication between parents and schools Offer options e.g., shorter marking periods with frequent feedback Offer online learning and other academic options

Develop early warning systems (lead indicators) Review school processes and systems e.g., scheduling

Dropout Prevention Self Assessment Create your own self assessment

“When one has no stake in the way things are, when one’s needs or opinions are provided no forum, when one sees oneself as the object of unilateral actions, it takes no particular wisdom to suggest that one would rather be elsewhere.” -- Seymour B. Sarason, 1991, p. 83 in “The Predictable Failure of Education Reform”

Resources The Differential Developmental Trajectories of High School Dropouts and Graduates; Journal of Education Research The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts by John M. Bridgeland, et al

Resources Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage by Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers From High School Students by Kathleen Cushman and the students of What Kids Can Do, Inc Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Build America, Lisbeth Schorr Within Our Reach, Lisbeth Schorr

Rossi Ray-Taylor (734) Ray.Taylor and Associates