PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES

These wiki articles discuss the programs that schools, districts, organizations, and communities have used to keep students in school until they graduate. This page serves as an index page with brief summaries about a topic followed by links to further information.

Ability grouping is a common practice in US public schools. The idea is based upon the fact that incoming students come from varied backgrounds. Although research generally has not led to a consensus on whether this mode of teaching is beneficial or harmful, Crosby and Owens argue in their paper that it is harmful and result in higher dropout rates. They recommend cooperative learning strategies that are effective alternatives for students. Read more

Absenteeism is one of the primary indicators of a student at-risk of dropping out. These programs are designed to reduce episodes of absenteeism and truancy. Read more

Alternative education is a broad term that encompasses a variety of solutions available to schools seeking to address at-risk youth. While each approach is different the idea is the same – provide a learning environment that meets student needs and fosters educational growth. Read more

The way parents interact with children is a key factor in determining potential academic achievement. But what kind of supervision improves, rather than lower the chances of success? Read more

Increasingly the relationship between spending and student achievement is taking center stage in education debates. A number of states have considered legislation that would require school districts to spend at least 65% of their budgets on “classroom instruction” known as the “65% Solution.” Read more

It takes more than just a school system to support at-risk students, entire communities should be active in the effort to keep students engaged and interested. This article features a number of community-wide initiatives from across the country that demonstrate how some organizations have facilitated engagement between at-risk students and community members seeking to help. Among the entries are the finalists of the 2007 Civic Change Award sponsored by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change. Read more

Crime can hinder the best community and school efforts to raise the graduation. How can communities intervene to lower the crime rate? Read more

The cost of building an early warning system to identify at-risk students to parents and educators can be relatively small compared with the cost of providing programmatic interventions or systemwide reforms meant to increase graduation rates. Desipe the small cost, the payoffs from these systems can be huge because interventions can be specifically targeted at those students most in need. Read more

Dropout prevention does not concern only the at-risk students, suggests Sara Mansbach. She cites research to support the notion that by focusing on the family unit as the recipient of literacy, “family literacy reaches out to the adult caregiver who will be or currently is nurturing children” (Mansbach, 1). The model is meant to include former dropouts in the cycle of learning, so that they can break free from a cycle of illiteracy. Read more

One of the most contentious elements of any dropout prevention effort is the calculation of the dropout rate. There is an tremendous amount of variability from one state to the next with varying degrees of reliability. In an attempt to get a handle on the problem the National Governor’s Association started an initiative called “Graduation Counts” that attempts to provide a uniform formula for calculating the dropout rate in all states. Read more

Civic Enterprises interviewed dropouts and asked them what they thought would improve schools. Responses indicated clear supports that can be provided within a school environment, in the community and at home that would improve a potential dropout’s chance for staying in school. Read more

Incentives have a strong role in encouraging people and rousing them to action. However, the effectiveness of incentives can vary widely depending upon individual’s needs and perceptions: while cash can be the primary motivator to one, a tuition reimbursement maybe the most effective in effecting change. A brief overview of the types of incentives that have worked is presented in this article. Read more

The percentage of Spanish-speaking Americans is growing rapidly in the United States. This section discusses some of what polling and survey research tells us about the educational challenges faced by this diverse population as well as some of the solutions. Read more

Four out of five dropouts surveyed for the “Silent Epidemic” said that their education does not have a practical application in the “real world”. Here are some programs that speak to students by pairing what they learn in the classroom with the world around them. Read more

Learning how to read and write is critical, learn what can be done to help at-risk students and ensure they don’t fall behind their peers. Read more

How to set up a successful Mentorship Program. Read more

The Middle School Archive Project changes the focus and culture of middle school and high school. It brings a more realistic focus on the future for each student. It begins with a 350 pound vault bolted to the floor in the middle school lobby. Every student knows they will write a letter to themselves before leaving the 8th grade. They themselves will place this letter into the archive before leaving the 8th grade. The letter will stay in the archive until their 10-year 8th grade class reunion. At that reunion they will also be invited to speak with then current 8th grade students about what they themselves would do if they were 13 again. What have they learned during their 10 years since middle school? Read more

The National Guard Youth Challenge Program has had great success in turning around the lives of at-risk youths. What does this program do well? Why is it so effective? What lessons can schools, parents, and community groups take from the program’s example? Read more

Parents face multiple challenges that may inhibit their ability to effectively raise and support their children. To meet their responsibilities, all parents need support from individuals, family-friendly institutions, and caring communities. The goal of parent support is to strengthen parents’ capability to draw upon available resources for their own and their children’s well-being. Read more

How can we get parents more engaged with their schools and involved in their children’s education? This section has ideas of what can be done in your community to increase parental engagement in local schools. Read more

An overview of the Madison Plan that increased minority retention at the University of Wisconsin. Read more

The Promise of Roanoke is a citizen-led project that is a partnership between the City of Roanoke, Roanoke City Public Schools, and Virginia Tech. This partnership seeks to prepare Roanoke City children to enter school, improve third grade literacy rates, and improve high school graduation rates within Roanoke City Public Schools. Read more

How the state of Kansas uses school based resource management to efficiently improve education outcomes. Read more

Often potential dropouts can be intervened only by offering them a combination of multiple services, which is not available from any single agency. Health, education and social services may all be necessary for intervention. Read more

Research has established that there is indeed an influence of school size on drop out rate. It is an indirect influence, manifested through the schools social environment. Larger student bodies contribute to a less positive social environment, less social integration, and less identity with the school. Read more

Teenage pregnancy carries high costs in terms of both the social and economic health of mothers and their children. Teenage mothers are less likely to receive prenatal care, and their children are more likely to be born before term, to have low birth weights, and to have developmental delays. Teenage mothers are also less likely to complete their education than moms over twenty years of age. Read more

“Purposeful recreation”, stemming from the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR), is an effective tool for intervening and improving the chances of success for at-risk youth. Read more

Transition programs are focused intervention on students moving from middle to high school. Read more

Lessons learned from policy initiatives in the United Kingdom relating to vocational training for high school ages students. Read more

A step-by-step discussion of how to create job-training programs. Read more

Engaging young people as partners in community change is a compelling idea, but translating that idea into effective practice requires focused attention to a range of issues. The principles described in this paper emerged from the commingling of research and practice that occurred when the Forum for Youth Investment merged with Community IMPACT! USA. They are important but simple principles for putting the idea of youth engagement into practice. They can be implemented in a wide range of organizations, including schools, youth organizations or community centers that want to strengthen their commitment to youth leadership, or community-change focused organizations or coalitions that want to strengthen their commitment to youth involvement. Read more