The Dropout Problem What Can Be Done?

Christian Life Commission

February 2, 2010

Why should we be concerned?

• The consequences of dropping out are severe both for the individual and society. Dropping out often triggers:– Unemployment– Poverty– Living on public assistance– Poor health– Incarceration– Having children who drop out

Why should we be concerned?

DROPOUTS ARE:

Twice as likely to as high school graduates to slip into poverty

• Three times more likely to be unemployed that college graduates

• Eight times as likely to be in jail• Less likely to enjoy the rewards of a productive

career. College graduates earn $1 million more over their lifetime than do dropouts

Why should we be concerned?

• There are costs to society as well as costs to the individual.

• If our dropout rate remains the same for the next 10 years, the result will be a loss to the nation of $3 trillion due to:– Lost productivity– Lost contributions to the tax base– Increased cost for social services

Dropouts – who are they?

• Dropping out is not just an issue for poor urban or rural schools. 20 percent of all students drop out—40 percent of students in the nation’s lowest socioeconomic group, but also 10 percent of youth from families in the highest two socioeconomic groups.

• Socioeconomic status, not ethnicity, is the key indicator for dropping out. The dropout problem affects African-American and Hispanic students more than others because they are more represented in the lower socio-economic groups.

Dropouts – who are they?

• There is no “typical dropout” although some populations are overrepresented

• Graduation is related to a student’s gender, ethnicity, and economic status. HOWEVER all of these factors together account for only about 12 percent of the dropout phenomenon.

• The factors that make a huge difference in whether an individual drops out are within our power to change

Why Do Students Drop Out?

• Personal risk factors—substance abuse, pregnancy, legal problems, working more than 14-20 hours per week.

• School risk factors—truancy, absenteeism, tardiness, suspension, and disciplinary infractions.

• Family factors—unstable home life, socioeconomic status, siblings’ completion of high school, single-parent households, parental education background, primary language spoken in the home. (Woods 1995)

What Do Students say about why they drop out?

• Classes were not interesting (47 percent)• Missed too many days and could not catch

up (43 percent)• Spent time with people who were not

interested in school (42 percent)• Had too much freedom and not enough

rules (38 percent)• Was failing in school (35 percent)

(Bridgeland, Dilulio, & Morrison 2006)

We are making progress

Encouraging News

• 21 states report using the NGA compact graduation rate definition. Of the 16 that publicly reported their graduation rate for 2008, Texas ranked fourth behind only Iowa, Vermont and Virginia. Texas ranked ahead of states such as Michigan, Florida, Rhode Island, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, and New Mexico among others.!

Encouraging News

• Eighth-grade African-American students in Texas tied Massachusetts for first place on the NAEP mathematics exam.!

• • Among white students, Texasʼ eighth-grade students earned the fourth highest score on the NAEP math exam.!

• • Among Hispanic students, Texasʼ eighth-graders had the fourth highest score on the NAEP math exam. !

Encouraging News

• • Overall, Texas ranked 18th among 50 states on eighth-grade NAEP math exam.!

• • African-American fourth-grade students in Texas earned the third highest score on NAEP math. ! •

• Texasʼ white fourth-graders tied for fifth place with North Carolina on NAEP math. ! •

• Hispanic students in Texas ranked eighth nationwide.!

Encouraging Research

• Research shows that schools can predict who will drop out with a high degree of accuracy.

• By 9th grade, dropouts can be predicted with 85% accuracy.

Research

• By the end of the Fall semester of the Freshman year, we can identify who will dropout with just two numbers:

• It is Not – IQ– Family income– 8th grade achievement tests– Not zip code

Research

• Two key numbers– Number of days absent in the first 100 days– Number of courses failed in the first 100 days

ResearchAbsences

– Nearly 90% of freshmen who miss less than five days of school that Fall, will GRADUATE, regardless of their 8th grade achievement scores.

– Students who entered high school with very low 8th grade achievement scores but who miss less than one week of school failed fewer courses than students who entered high school with very high achievement scores who missed one additional week of classes.

Research Absences

• Attendance is a problem even among many high achieving students. About half of the highest achieving students entering high school with test scores in the top quartile missed more than a week of class

ResearchCourse Failures

• A student with no more than one failure in a core course per semester by end of Freshman year was nearly four times more likely to graduate.

• Almost 100% of all students with a B average or higher at the end of their Freshman year graduate within four years.

ResearchCourse Failures

• Failure to pass a course is often evident by the end of the 6th week of the semester.

Promising Practices

E arly warning system

A dvocate

S ervices – academic and social

waY back in

Early Warning System

• National High School Center has created a simple electronic spreadsheet that will allow a school to download attendance and interim period grades by student. It will automatically flag those that are off-track for graduation.

Adult Advocate

• Institute for Education Sciences USDE recommends assigning an adult advocate to students at risk of dropping out.

• Studies show such students earn more credits, are absent less, and have better grades.

Intervention Services

• Academic– Tutoring– Study skills development

• Social– Counseling– Health services– Assistance with basic needs

A Way Back In

• Opportunities to re-enter the education system that are:– Flexible– Offer acceleration opportunities– Intensive academic and social services as

needed

Texas Education Agency Dropout Prevention Initiatives

Strategic efforts toward graduating more students, better

prepared for college

House Bill 1 InitiativesHouse Bill 1 Initiatives8080thth Legislature Legislature (2006)

• High School Allotment

• College Readiness

High School Allotment $300,000,000 annually

Funds may be used to implement:

• college readiness programs to prepare underachieving students for college

• programs that encourage students toward advanced academics opportunities

• programs that give students opportunities to take academically rigorous coursework …

High School Allotment

…(continued):

• Programs that align the curriculum for grades 6-12 with post secondary curriculum

• Other high school completion and success initiatives in grades 6-12

What are Some Examples of How Districts are Using the Funds?

– Tutoring and academic support– Newcomer Academies for Limited English

Proficient students– Summer programs for struggling students– “Fish” programs for freshman students– Professional development for teachers– Stipends for mentor teachers– Incentives to recruit and retain math and science

teachers– Incentives to recruit and retain teachers at hard-to-

staff schools

Federal Dropout Initiatives

• Communities In Schools

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers

• Life Skills Grant

Communities In Schools

• Nonprofit community organizations providing year round social services to at-risk students in partnership with the local school system

• Places a case manager on each campus served.

• Receives legislative funds and leverages additional resources and funding from other sources

Communities In Schools - Communities In Schools - How We WorkHow We WorkCIS Enlists and Facilitates

PartnershipsStudent

Outcomes

Services Repositioned

Business

Health Services

Enrichment Opportunities

Human Services

Mentors/Tutors

Juvenile Justice

Employment Services

Improved Learning

Improved Behavior

+

+

=

CIS Makes a Difference!

Improved Attendance

Higher Stay-in-School/ Graduation Rates

Source: CIS National 2003

Supportive Guidance/Counseling

Health & Human Services

Parental Involvement

Career Awareness/Employment

Enrichment Activities

Educational Enhancement

Communities In SchoolsProgram Components

Source: CIS of Texas 2004

CIS of Texas Program Facts

• Over 100 ISDs served

• 665 schools/campuses/projects received CIS services

• 75,893 students served

• 2,291 partners, providers and agencies worked with programs.

• 9,650 volunteers

Communities In Schools

Communities In Schools – Results!

• 97% of CIS case managed students stayed in school.

• 84% improved in academics.

• 74% improved in attendance.

• 90% improved in behavior.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

•Community learning centers provide students with after-school academic enrichment opportunities with activities designed to complement the student’s regular program

• 590 centers

•728 participating schools

Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers

• Programs may use the funds to carry out a broad array of before- and after-school activities achievement. These activities include, among others:

– Remedial education activities and academic enrichment learning programs, including tutoring services;

Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers

• Mathematics and science education activities;

• Arts and music education activities; • Activities for limited English proficient

(LEP) students that emphasize language skills and academic achievement;

• Recreational activities;

Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers

• Programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy;

• Drug and violence prevention programs; and

• Character education programs.

Life Skills Grant for Student Parents

The mission: to enable school-age parents, through education, to

become self-sufficient, responsible, job-oriented citizens.

The goal: to reduce the number of students who dropout due to pregnancy and/or parenthood,

and to recover these students to the educational system.

Did you know: most students who do not complete high school

have at least one parent who is a dropout

HB 2237 – 80th Legislature (2007)

Created a number of programs: one category was designed to prevent students from dropping out of high schools and a second category of programs was designed to prepare high school students for college.

Funded by Rider 53a and 53b. Approximately $25 million for each category. Reserved for districts that exhibited during each of the three preceding school years characteristics that strongly correlate with high dropout rates.

HB 2237 Programs and Initiatives

Collaborative Dropout Prevention Pilot Program

• Designed to encourage community organizations to collaborate to address and reduce the local dropout rate

• Funds are used to encourage local businesses, local governments or law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and institutions of higher education to work together with their school district to deliver proven, research-based intervention services

Collaborative Pilot Program Features:

• Encourages local businesses and other employers to offer internships, employment, and advanced vocational training

• Encourages the coordination of community services and resources to address the local dropout rate

• Encourages employers to provide paid time off for parents to volunteer in school, and to provide incentives for employees to engage in mentoring and other school-related activities

• Provides for electronic course delivery and encourages innovative instructional techniques

Intensive Summer Programs – two types

High School – a program administered by a school district in partnership with an institution of higher education to provide intensive academic instruction in English language arts, mathematics, and science to promote high school completion and college readiness.

Intensive Summer Programs

Middle School - a program administered by a school district in partnership with an institution of higher education to provide intensive academic instruction in reading and mathematics to students in grades six through eight to promote high school completion and college readiness.

Intensive Summer ProgramsPrograms must:

• provide rigorous academic instruction;

• provide at least four weeks of instruction; and,

• create work-study opportunities for students enrolled in teacher preparation programs to assist in providing instruction in programs described by this section.

Ninth Grade Transition & Intervention

• Component One: summer programs designed to provide graduating 8th graders with the academic and social skills needed to successfully transition from middle school to high school.

• Component Two: an early warning system to identify those students who are likely not to graduate

Ninth Grade Transition & Intervention

• Component Three: intervention services for students identified as off-track such as tutoring, mentoring, counseling, social services.

Dropout Recovery Pilot

• Pilot program designed to identify and recruit students 26 years of age or younger who have dropped out of Texas public schools and provide them with the educational and social services they need to either earn a high school diploma or demonstrate college readiness

Dropout Recovery Pilot

• Students can complete program by either:

– Earning a high school diploma; or

– Demonstrating college readiness by:• Earning GED, and• Passing TSI test to enter community college, and• Attend and pass a college course

Dropout Recovery Pilot

• Key Features– Provides students maximum flexibility

• no requirements regarding:– number of hours student must attend– when they must attend, or – how they must learn

Dropout Recovery Pilot

• Offers services designed to help students overcome barriers to completion

– Child care– Transportation– Counseling– Academic support– Access to social services

Dropout Recovery Pilot

Pay for Performance: grantees who assist students may earn:

- $1,000 per student earning a diploma or demonstrating college readiness; and

- are eligible to earn an additional $250 for completing up to four benchmarks along the way.

What can we do?

The First Three Steps

1. Understand the Dropout Crisis in Your Community

• Who drops out? When? How many? How far were they from graduation?

• Why do they drop out?- Push outs, fade outs, forced outs – by life events.- Are schools and the community organized to

reduce or create dropouts?

2. Emphasize rigorous academic standards in combination with focused prevention, intervention, and recovery efforts at the key points where students fall off the path to graduation.– pay attention to the early grades and

transition years (especially 9th grade).– Make school relevant to the lives of students.

3. Organize a sustained, community-based, comprehensive plan to end the dropout crisis.

– Mobilize the entire community to focus human and financial resources on the problem.

– Encourage involvement.

Resources:

For additional information on Texas programs and initiatives, as well as current research and conference information, please visit our website at:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ed_init/sec/thsp/

• Click on the “Dropout Prevention” link

Resources:Helpful websites:

National Dropout Prevention Center/Network:www.dropoutprevention.org/ndpcdefault.htm

Silent Epidemic/Civic Enterprises:www.silentepidemic.org

US Department of Education: School Dropout Prevention Program:www.ed.gov/programs/dropout/index.html

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Understanding Dropout Prevention Programs: www.mathematica-mpr.com/education/dropoutprev.asp

Best Practices WIKI from the Pew Center – A Wiki About Student Retention from the Pew Partnership for Civic Change:www.learningtofinish.org/doku.php

Contact Information

For more information about TEA Dropout Prevention Initiatives, please contact Jan Lindsey.

Jan LindseySenior Director-Dropout Prevention and College and Career Readiness Texas Education AgencyWilliam B. Travis Building1701 N. Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701 (512) 936-6060 Jan.lindsey@tea.state.tx.us