Reconnecting Youth through Dropout Reengagement Centers

Research shows that many out-of-school youth want to return to school, but are uncertain how to do so and are fearful they will not succeed once they get there. Helping these young people find alternative pathways to graduation – and productive and promising futures – is a critical challenge facing municipal leaders today.Fortunately, a growing number of cities are leading the way with innovative strategies that provide multiple routes to graduation for all students. These efforts include the establishment of one-stop "reengagement centers" for high school dropouts. The centers offer a range of services such as individual academic assessments, opportunities to explore different education options and referrals to appropriate schools or other credential programs

Six Pillars of Effective Dropout Prevention and Recovery: An Assessment of Current State Policy and How to Improve it

This report identifies six model policy elements that frame a sound legislative strategy for dropout prevention and recovery, and it assesses the extent to which recent state policy aligns with these model elements. Overall, 36 states and the District of Columbia have enacted new dropout legislation since 2002. While some states have moved toward adopting comprehensive dropout prevention and recovery policies, nearly all of them have a long way to go. Nearly one-third of the nation—14 states—have enacted no new laws aimed at increasing graduation rates in the past eight years

Solving California's Dropout Crisis

Synthesizes ongoing CDRP research to outline the scope, the causes, and the costs of the state's high school dropout crisis. Proposes a policy agenda to raise the graduation rate, with separate recommendations for the state, districts, and schools

Improving High School Graduation Rates Among Males of Color

Young males of color constitute a disproportionately high percentage of our nation's non-high school graduate population. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show that in 2012, 7% of all U.S. 16- to 24-year-olds were not enrolled in school and had not earned a high school diploma or equivalency credential. That same year, for the same age group, this rate (called the status dropout rate) was 10.9% for Black males, 15.0% for Hispanic males, and 14.8% for American Indian/ Alaska Native males. For each of these ethnicities, the status dropout rate for females was significantly lower (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2014, Table 219.80). The U.S. Census Bureau data also show a positive correlation between the incidence of young dropouts and levels of family poverty

The Dropout Crisis: Promising Approaches in Prevention and Recovery

The number of high school age students who do not complete high school is receiving increased attention as a serious challenge facing the educational system. This is happening for several reasons. New research estimates that about 30 percent of high school students fail to earn a diploma in the standard number of years, a higher figure than state and local education officials typically cite. In many states, barely half of African-Americans and Latinos graduate from high school. The magnitude of the challenge is becoming clear at the same time that a consensus is emerging that education beyond high school is critical to economic self-sufficiency and success in today's knowledge-intensive economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 60 percent of jobs created between now and 2010 will require at least some postsecondary education. In the emerging economy, a high school dropout or a young person who earns a GED, but no further postsecondary credential, has extremely few opportunities for a family-supporting career. Addressing the dropout crisis will require responding to a dual challenge: state education systems must promote and support both dropout prevention strategies and dropout recovery efforts. This brief describes current practice in both prevention and recovery, highlighting promising approaches in each area that can help reduce stubbornly high dropout rates. It concludes with several suggestions for how state policymakers can help promote a more systemic approach to the dropout crisis

Forgotten Youth: Re-Engaging Students Through Dropout Recovery

Each year, thousands of Massachusetts students drop out of school. The path forward for these students is difficult, and failing to fully educate the next generation of workers and leaders has substantial long-term consequences for our shared economic and social well-being. To address this, policymakers have devoted significant attention in recent years to raising high school graduation rates through dropout reduction strategies. Missing from this agenda, however, is any significant focus on dropout recovery, the act of re-engaging and re-enrolling students who leave school before graduating. Without a more systemic approach to connect with out-of-school youth, we will continue to struggle to fulfill our commitment to educate all students.To address this need, Boston Public Schools has established the Re-Engagement Center, a dropout recovery program that strives to re-enroll out-of-school youth through outreach, personal connections, and a variety of educational options that support students to graduation. The Rennie Center conducted a case study of the Re-Engagement Center in Spring 2012, the findings of which are highlighted in the policy brief Forgotten Youth: Re-Engaging Students Through Dropout Recovery.The purpose of this brief is to make a contribution to a growing body of work about dropout recovery. The brief begins by discussing the role of dropout recovery as a strategy to increase the graduation rate, identifies common practices in other dropout recovery models, and documents the development and operation of the Re-Engagement Center. Forgotten Youth then identifies promising practices and ongoing challenges of this program, and concludes by offering considerations -- based on literature and research findings -- for school and district leaders, community partners, and state policymakers

Explaining Student Retention: The case of the University of Aberdeen

Student retention has risen high on the political agenda in the UK as part of the government’s priorities to widen participation in higher education, in particular among groups traditionally under-represented in the sector. These concerns have been reflected in policies of the funding bodies in the UK. In turn Universities across the UK have become increasingly active in developing processes and procedures to meet the challenges of improving student retention while simultaneously widening access and participation in the context of rising student numbers overall. This has led to the desire for accurate data and reliable statistical analysis on which to inform policy at the University of Aberdeen. The purpose of this report is to answer the question: “To what extent can the probability of drop out of a student be explained by student characteristics?” Are mature students more likely to drop out? Is there an empirical distinction between younger and older mature students? Are male students more prone to dropping out? To what extent can the level of entry qualifications explain dropouts? Are there any differences in the impact of below core entry qualifications between male and female students? Do students who performed unsatisfactorily in their first year and who were allowed to repeat this first year drop out less or more often than other students? Have there been any significant trends over time? It is clear that any associations of these characteristics with drop out rates may have important policy implications for the University as it may allow the identification of those potentially “at risk” before they join the University and hence facilitate the targeting of support once students start their studies

Reconnecting Our Youth, a Scan of Policy Opportunities to Improve Economic Success for Vulnerable Youth

In March 2012, Grad Nation campaign released its report on the progress of the nation's public schools in improving graduation rates and movement toward achieving the goal of a 4-year cohort graduation rate of 90 percent by 2020. It revealed that from 2001 to 2009, the graduation rate increased from 72 percent to 75 percent, an average of less than .5 percentage points a year. During that same period of time, nearly a half million young people dropped out of school annually. High school reform and graduation accountability efforts are critical to stemming the disconnection of youth from our public education system. However, until these innovations and reforms are imbedded at scale in our districts, we must pay commensurate attention to the needs of the millions of youth who are dropping out and falling outside of the education and labor market mainstreams

Opportunity Road: The Promise and Challenge of America's Forgotten Youth

There are millions of youth ages 16 to 24 who are out of school and out of work. They cost the nation billions of dollars every year and over their lifetimes in lost productivity and increased social services. They also represent an opportunity for the nation to tap the talents of millions of potential leaders and productive workers at a time when America's skills gap is significant. The central message of this report is that while these youth face significant life challenges, most start out with big dreams and remain confident or hopeful that they can achieve their goals; most accept responsibility for their futures; and most are looking to reconnect to school, work and service. They point the way to how they can effectively reconnect to education, productive work and civic life. On behalf of Civic Enterprises and the America's Promise Alliance, Peter D. Hart Research Associates undertook a national cross-section of opportunity youth in 23 diverse locations across the United States in August 2011 to learn about common elements in their personal histories and their lives today, and to explore opportunities to reconnect them to work and school. At the time of the survey, respondents were ages 16 to 24, neither enrolled in school nor planning to enroll in the coming year, were not working, and had not completed a college degree. In addition, they were not disabled such as to prevent long-term employment, were not incarcerated, and were not a stay-at-home parent with a working spouse. What the authors found was both heartbreaking and uplifting, frustrating and hopeful. Despite many growing up in trying circumstances of little economic means and weak family and social supports, the youth they surveyed were optimistic about their futures. More than half believed they would graduate college when they were growing up and their hopes remain high that they will achieve the American Dream with a strong family life of their own and a good job one day. For this reason, the authors believe they are truly "opportunity youth"--both for their belief in themselves that must be nurtured and for the opportunity they hold for America

Reinventing Alternative Education: An Assessment of Current State Policy and How to Improve It

This report identifies seven model policy elements that states should incorporate in order to develop and improve alternative pathways for struggling students and former dropouts. Jobs for the Future performed this comprehensive 50-state policy scan to assess the extent to which state policy aligns with these model elements