KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief: Reducing the High School Dropout Rate

Outlines the economic costs of dropping out of high school and proposes dropout prevention strategies, such as taking a long-term approach starting with school readiness, enhancing schools' holding power, and addressing outside factors and at-risk groups

Multiple Pathways to Graduation: New Routes to High School Competition

Examines three approaches -- targeted population, district-wide, and linked learning -- to raising graduation rates, benefits, and challenges; what is required for implementation; and which approaches work well for different types of districts

Hidden in Plain Sight: Homeless Students In America's Public Schools

Student homelessness is on the rise, with more than 1.3 million homeless students identified during the 2013-14 school year. This is a 7 percent increase from the previous year and more than double the number of homeless students in 2006-07. As high as these numbers seem, they are almost certainly undercounts.Despite increasing numbers, these students - as well as the school liaisons and state coordinators who support them - report that student homelessness remains an invisible and extremely disruptive problem.Students experiencing homelessness struggle to stay in school, to perform well, and to form meaningful connections with peers and adults. Ultimately, they are much more likely to fall off track and eventually drop out of school more often than their non-homeless peers.This study:provides an overview of existing research on homeless students,sheds light on the challenges homeless students face and the supports they say they need to succeed,reports on the challenges adults - local liaisons and state coordinators - face in trying to help homeless students, andrecommends changes in policy and practice at the school, community, state and national level to help homeless students get on a path to adult success.This is a critical and timely topic. The recent reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides many new and stronger provisions for homeless students (effective Oct. 1, 2016); requires states, district and schools for the first time to report graduation rates for homeless students (effective beginning with the 2016-17 school year); and affirms the urgency and importance of dealing with homelessness so that all children can succeed

UAS Literary & Arts Journal

Proof copy provided by Tidal Echoes.The 2016 edition of Tidal Echoes presents an annual showcase of writers and artists who share one thing in common: a life surrounded by the rainforests and waterways of Southeast Alaska.a heart is a heavy burden -- Editor’s Note -- Acknowledgements -- Always a Pause -- Untitled -- Mishima Teabowls -- Mint Tea and Red Wine -- The Dry Winter Scent of Prairies -- Northern Sunrise -- Musical Theory in a Falling Tree -- Jumbo Lookout -- The Shape of an Echo -- Wonderwall -- It’s Difficult [excerpt from the poem “Marissa”] -- Yéil x’us.eetí Raven Footprints -- táakw winter -- King Fisher -- Bear -- A Dandelion by its own Name -- Migrations -- Untitled -- They Named Her Driftwood -- Kissing in the Rain -- Waltz of the Flowers: Anna and Company -- Sun Catcher -- Porcelain Curtains -- The River -- Kathleen Lake -- A Living Tapestry -- Red Cedar Tlingit Haida Weave -- Skinned -- Survivor -- Auke Lake Lights -- Aurora Chasers -- Emma Afloat -- I Can’t Sleep -- The Ghost I’m Left With -- Framed Memories -- Tequila, Sweat, and Prayers -- The Alchemical Marriage -- A New New Hope -- each dream practice -- Clouds -- Seasons Change and the Waters Run On -- John Muir -- Salmon Speaks -- A Place That Holds Names -- Untitled -- Salmon Spirit Chest, Connected (box) -- The Language of Weaving: Featured Artist Dr. Teri Rofkar -- Nome, Alaska -- Drained -- I’m From -- Srevlla—The state of things where the spring snow is so soft that one sinks into it. -- Reflections -- Txamsem -- Post-Glacial Rebound -- Dressed in Garlands -- Learning the Dance -- Shamrocks -- When You See Me -- Water Spirit -- To Speak for Restraint, for Wildness, for Beauty: Featured Writer Aleria Jensen -- Young Eagle -- Untitled (detail) -- Baula -- Airport Dike Trail Evening -- Ninja Meatballs -- Untitled -- In the Wild Without Child: One Mother’s Invitation to Self -- Whale Tail Vista -- Questions for Anemones -- Yellow Cedarbark Wool on Starfish Pot -- Gleaming Orange and Pissed -- Through the Sky She Comes -- Love for the Honeybee -- The Last Speaker -- Juneau Fireweed -- Judy Plays the Tuba -- Illuminated Juneau -- Airport Dike Trail Moonlight -- Escape -- A Wooden Mother -- Black and Whites -- an excuse for staying indoors (a working title for a work in progress) -- Insecurities -- Lake Farm -- Yew Bear -- Rupture -- Mendenhall Glacier -- The Rookery -- Transient -- Laminaria -- Untitled -- Querencia -- Hoard -- Untitled -- Small Birds Sign -- Selfie at Two -- Entropy -- Goodbye -- Sitka Bridge -- My Remedy -- S1 -- Delta Symbols Static -- Falling -- Breathe Deeply -- Drum, drum away -- Eaglefest Dancer -- Wasichana -- Writer & Artist Biographie

Economic (In)Security: The Experience of the African-American and Latino Middle Classes

As the next installment in the By a Thread series, Economic (In)Security uses the Middle Class Security Index to provide the first comprehensive portrait of the level of financial security enjoyed by African-American and Latino middle-class families. The findings show that, in the wake of fading economic opportunity, these two rapidly growing groups face mounting obstacles in becoming part of, and remaining securely in, America's middle class

Overcoming the Poverty Challenge to Enable College and Career Readiness for All: The Crucial Role of Student Supports

This white paper focuses on an important and under-conceptualized thread in the weave of efforts needed to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and/or career training: enhanced student supports. It argues that in order to overcome the educational impacts of poverty -- the poverty challenge, schools that serve high concentrations of low income students need to be able to provide direct, evidence-based supports that help students attend school regularly, act in a productive manner, believe they will succeed, overcome external obstacles, complete their coursework, and put forth the effort required to graduate college- and career-ready. Next, it highlights the unique role that nonprofits, community volunteers, and full-time national service members can play in the implementation of these direct student supports. It concludes by exploring how federal and state policy and funding can be designed to promote the implementation and spread of evidence-based, direct student supports. The paper draws on the emerging evidence base to examine these topics, and calls upon the insights gleaned through the author's fifteen years of participant-observation in the effort to create schools strong enough to overcome the ramifications of poverty and prepare all students for adult success

The Contributing Factors to Student Absenteeism/Truancy and the Effectiveness of Social Services and Interventions

One major issue that schools are currently facing and seeing little or no improvement with is effectively dealing with student absenteeism and truancy. Despite early interventions, programs are still failing to effectively motivate students to attend school. This research study examines the success of an implementation of a perfect attendance award within an elementary school to increase student attendance. An examination of student attendance from the 2006-2007 academic year and from the 2007-2008 academic year, suggested that the perfect attendance certificate distributed monthly to students with no absences for that month is a positive motivator for students to attend school every day. The data from the months of September, October and November in the 2006-2007 year had a mean score of 54.5 and the 2007-2008 year had a mean score of 59.5, which indicated from an Independent Samples Test that the data proves to be statistically significant, thus the certificates accounted for increased attendance rates. Follow up surveys also provide evidence that the attendance certificates are an overall positive motivator for students and help to increase student attendance at one elementary school. Recognizing student’s strengths of attending school every day is a powerful tool of empowerment, and reduces absenteeism

Estudiantes Exitosos

Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey is a faith based non profit organization that provides aid to individuals and families in need. Catholic Charities focuses on three main areas of services, immigration and citizen services, family supportive services, and tattoo removal program. They provide services that help people regardless of their faith who struggle with poverty and complex issues. Every year low income families struggle to provide their children with the basic school supplies they need to start a new school year. This contributes to families not being able to afford school supplies, and because of the unexpected pandemic a shortage in school supplies. This causes low grades and low graduation rates within low income families. The capstone project, “Estudiantes Exitosos”, will provide low income families with immediate access to many of the school supplies that their children need to begin the school year. The expected outcomes are to help children and students throughout Monterey County begin the school year at the same level as other students. This project should eliminate the barrier of low income children not being prepared for school

The two-legged stool: the neglected role of educational standards in improving America's public schools

The author notes that raising the school-leaving age and increasing the amount of spending per pupil have been extremely important public school reforms. However, he says, sizable improvements in school quality will only be evident when these two reforms are complemented by higher standards--and when students' abilities to meet these standards are tested.Education

Improving the Economic and Life Outcomes of At-Risk Youth, Spring 2003

Outlines ideas and strategies for designing programs to engage alienated and disaffected young people in activities designed to help them acquire skills, gain work experience, and improve their lives. Proposes a specific major experimental program