Helping Students Helping Students with Disabilities with Disabilities

GraduateGraduateWhat Your School and Community Can Do to Prevent Dropout for

Youth with Disabilities

Loujeania Williams BostNational Dropout Prevention Center for Students with

DisabilitiesPrepared for the National High School Center Summer

InstituteWashington, DC, June 2008

UNDERSTAND OUR UNDERSTAND OUR CHALLENGECHALLENGE

How Many Drop How Many Drop Out?Out?

NLTS-2 data suggest that 28% of students with disabilities who left school did so by dropping out

Students with disabilities drop out of school at twice the rate of general education students

One in three students with disabilities do not graduate on time with a regular diploma (www.ideadata.org )

How Many Drop Out?How Many Drop Out?

Males drop out at significantly higher rates than females (www.ideadata.org)

Special education overrepresentation often mirrors overrepresentation in many undesirable categories—including low expectations, suspension, and dropping out

Dropout is most prevalent among youths with Learning Disabilities and Serious Emotional Disturbances

There Has Been Significant Progress in There Has Been Significant Progress in Students with Disabilities Completing High Students with Disabilities Completing High

SchoolSchool

Percentage-point change since 1987 = +17***Sources: NLTS2 Wave 1 parent interviews, 1987; NLTS2 Wave 2

parent/youth interviews, 2003. Youth had been out of high school up to 2 years.***p < .001.

28%

72%

Completed high school

Droppedout/other

Why Do Students with Disabilities Why Do Students with Disabilities Drop Out?Drop Out?

Tardiness/poor attendance Lack of interest Disability-based difficulties/behavior

problems Poor relationships with peers or adults Academic failure (Poor/limited

academic skills , credit loss) Movement from school to school Life Events

(Wagner, 2008)

Where Do They Drop Out?Where Do They Drop Out?

Pattern mirrors general education except in few states

Half attended chronically low performing high schools located in urban areas in Northeast, Midwest and West In all areas throughout the South and Southeast

TAKE ACTIONTAKE ACTION

Focus on Interventions That Focus on Interventions That WorkWork

Strategies that are focused on student engagement

Interventions that occur over time, usually months or years

Interventions that involve a family or parent component

Interventions that are strength based and involve a variety of contexts

1. Build early-warning systems that collect and analyze key factors associated with high dropout rates. Use them to flag systemic and student-specific concerns.

2. Establish a framework for local implementation that includes: an efficient infrastructure for collecting and utilizing data to

identify strengths, needs and priorities; effective instruction that challenges students and actively

engages them in learning; a safe and orderly school climate where students feel

welcome and supported; and processes and opportunities for sustained parental

involvement that recruit, support and value the role of parents as leaders, teachers, trainers, and decision makers.

Actions We Can Actions We Can TakeTake

3. Implement System of Comprehensive, Targeted, and Intensive Interventions in Schools and across your Community

4. Adopt and support the implementation of evidence-based practices

5. Stimulate and support change6. Advocate for Federal and State Investments

Actions We Can TakeActions We Can Take

States and Districts serve as Brokers of Diverse Portfolio of High Schools and Coordinated Interventions

Tiered Intervention ModelTiered Intervention Model

Type of Intervention Portion of Failure to Succeed Students Addressed

Resource Needs

School-wide Preventative

65-75% Maybe able to restructure existing resources to target needs

Targeted 15-25% Additional resources typically needed including professional development and external TA

Intensive 5-10% Partners with Resources Needed (Interagency, intensive TA, individualized services)

Rigorous Curriculum and Instruction Content Literacy Curriculum Content Enhancement Routines Learning Strategies Curriculum Effective Instruction focused on student engagement

(differentiated, direct, strategic, active) Transition and career development

Student and Family Supports Individualized Education Plans Check & Connect and other CBI Self-Determination and Advocacy Training Mentors, Tutors, Counseling, Wrap-Around Services Parent Mentor Programs School based health services Parent training

High School Reform High School Reform ElementsElements

Assessment and Accountability Progress Monitoring Vocational Assessments for transition planning Performance Indicators/targets Valid & reliable data Diploma pathways

Teacher Quality and Professional Development Year round strategy for continuous professional

development including onsite coaching Need driven technical assistance Capacity building training Interface with IHEs

Organization and Structure Small learning communities Looping Freshman seminars and academies Transition planning and services Career Pathways

Resources for Sustainability State supported Initiatives Capacity Building Funding

Stakeholder Engagement Awareness Campaigns Community partnerships State and local action teams Public reporting

Leadership and Governance Leadership Development Policy Review & Reform Legislative Impact

Important State and Federal Roles in Important State and Federal Roles in Transforming Secondary EducationTransforming Secondary Education

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (State Performance Plans/Indicators and Annual Progress Reporting (targets and improvement activities required for graduation, dropout, and related indicators)

Promise Act-(sufficiently funded to transform all low performing high schools)

Success in the Middle Bill Adolescent Literacy Work Force Education Act Highly Effective Teacher Fund Data Systems and Graduation Rate Accountability-

Common and Accurate Measure, meaningful growth goals, disaggregated, equal to test scores

Secondary Innovations Bill

WHAT’S THE PRIZE IF WE WHAT’S THE PRIZE IF WE ACT?ACT?

Economic Benefits & Personal Economic Benefits & Personal BenefitsBenefits

Our nation can recoup 45 billion dollars in lost tax revenues, health care expenditures, and social service outlays if we cut the number of high school dropouts in half (Levin et. al, 2007)

Improved post school outcomes for the nations youth with disabilities as they enter adult roles in life

Contact InformationContact Information

Loujeania Williams Bost, DirectorNDPC-SD

209 Martin StreetClemson, SC 29631

Phone: (864) 656-1253Fax: (864) 656-0136

www.ndpc-sd.org