Dropout

Graduation rates for students with disabilities fall significantly below the national graduation rate for all students.  In 2005–06, 57 percent of students with disabilities earned a regular school diploma.

A recent IES-funded study explored high school students’ academic progress at the end of ninth grade in five Texas school districts as an indicator of whether they would graduate from high school.[1] In the report,  Applying an On Track Indicator for High School Graduation: Adapting the Consortium on Chicago School Research Indicator for Five Texas Districts, researchers examined 12,662 students and used one of the Chicago Consortium on School Research’s (CCSR)

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a report that looks at high school dropout and completion rates from 1972-2008. The report, Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972–2008, includes discussions of many rates used to study how students complete or fail to complete high school.

This blog is a review of the High School Graduation Initiative (HSGI) grants that have been awarded to a wide range of applicants.  Application summaries are now available on the Department of Education’s Web site. 

In addition to initiating and expanding programs to prevent dropout, several HSGI awardees have also made plans to help dropouts re-enroll and recover credits to get back on track to graduate.

Often, when we hear “Early Warning Systems,” we think of Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia—large, urban school districts where these systems have been in place for many years. But Early Warning Systems (EWS) are swiftly becoming the norm in school districts across the country.

The Obama administration has placed a high priority on increasing high school graduation rates, creating new programs, such as the High School Graduation Initiative[1], to support states, districts, and schools graduate students college and career ready. Research suggests that key strategies for keeping students in high school involves challenging them with rigorous content, engaging them in real-world learning experiences, and providing them significant, tailored supports.

Policymakers and educators at the state, district, and building levels are looking to research and evaluation studies to guide policy and practice decisions. Increasingly, applications for federal and state funding require use of “evidence based” or “research supported” strategies, programs, and reform activities.

On June 2, 2010, the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers released the long-anticipated Common Core State Standards, a common set of internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards designed to ensure that the nation’s students are prepared to compete in the changing global economy.