Preventing DropoutWhat YOU Can Do

Sarah Davis, Pamela Postage, and Kyle Taperek

Agenda- Activity - Who is Dropping out?- What can YOU do?- Group activity/discussion- Questions/Comments/Concerns

Dropout ActivityEach of the students at the front of the room has at least one of the identified risk factors for dropping out.

No single factor has been proven to lead to dropout.

However, research has shown that when a student has three or more factors, their risk of dropout increases tremendously…

Who is dropping out?- Teen Parents- Low-Achieving Students (Academics)- Very Poor Attendance- Low Socioeconomic Status- Household without two parents- Peer group with risky behaviors- No connection with or commitment to school- Older sibling has dropped out

Who is dropping out?- Retention in 9th/10th grade

Only 15% of students retained in 9th go on to graduate (http://www.statisticbrain.com/high-school-

dropout-statistics/)

- Large number of work hours

- Low educational expectations

- High rate of behavior referrals/suspensions

- Parents did not graduate from high school

Who else is dropping out?- Learning disability or emotional disturbance- High social activity outside of school- No extra-curriculars- High family mobility- Large number of siblings- Lack of conversations about school- Low family-school contact

North Carolina - Stats9th grade students: 94,369Graduation count: 57,886

Dropout rate: 38.7%

National Graduation Percentage Rank: 40th

http://www.dropoutprevention.org/statistics/quick-facts/who-ranks-where

Why 9th grade teachers?

What can YOU do?- Understand what causes dropout (Check)4

- Assign adult advocates1,2,3,4

- Provide academic support1,2,3,4

- Implement programs to improve behavior and social skills1,3,4

- Differentiate/encourage/create a sense of belonging1,3,4

- Provide rigorous and relevant instruction3,4

- Positive personalized school climate/focus on student goals2,3,4

- Coordinate with outside-of-school programs4

- Life skills development4

Group Ideas- Provide academic support

- [Enter group idea here]

- Implement programs to improve behavior and social skills- [Enter group idea here]

- Differentiate/encourage/create a sense of belonging- [Enter group idea here]

- Positive personalized school climate- [Enter group idea here]

- Coordinate with outside-of-school programs- [Enter group idea here]

- Provide rigorous and relevant instruction- [Enter group idea here]

What else can YOU do?- Professional development (nice work!)

- Encourage school involvement2

- Set high (but realistic) expectations for every student2,3

- Lead an after-school activity/extracurricular1

- Mentor or tutor students1

- Active learning (embracing new ways to engage students)1

- Use technology in the classroom1

Conclusion- Dropout is NOT a single moment or factor, it is

a long process with many influences- 9th grade is a critical time to prevent dropout- Teachers are in a great position to engage

students, making them less likely to drop out- Many strategies are simple and could be

implemented immediately- YOU CAN PREVENT DROPOUT!

References and Resources

Department of Public Instruction. (2013). Report to the North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved athttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/research/discipline/reports/consolidated/2012-13/consolidated-report.pdf

4Dynarski, M., Clarke, L., Cobb, B., Finn, J., Rumberger, R., & Smink, J. (2008). Droupout Prevention (NCEE 2008-4025). Retrieved from Institute of Education Sciences website: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practice_guides/dp_pg_090308.pdf

1Effective strategies for dropout prevention. National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. Retrieved athttp://www.dropoutprevention.org/effective-strategies

2Hale, L., & Canter, A. (1998). School Dropout Prevention: Information and Strategies for Educators. National Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved at <http://www.naspcenter.org/adol_sdpe.html>

3Mathis, W. (2013). Dropout prevention. National Education Policy Center, 1-6.

National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University and Communities In Schools, Inc. (2007). Dropout risk factors and exemplary programs: A technical report; Executive summary.

Questions?