Research shows that students who participate in early college programs are more likely to enroll in and persist through college than non-early college students. This fact sheet examines the impact of a districtwide early college program in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District in Texas. The fact sheet includes a series of questions…

This year's study is the 34th in a series of annual reports on trends in dropout and attrition rates in Texas public schools, with the initial attrition study released by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) in 1986. The 2018-19 study builds on a series of studies by IDRA that track the number and percent of students in Texas…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Holding Power." Contents include: (1) Texas Higher Education Law Aims to…

This year's study is the 35th in a series of annual reports on trends in dropout and attrition rates in Texas public schools. The 2019-20 study builds on a series of studies by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) that track the number and percent of students in Texas who are lost from public school enrollment prior to…

Roughly defined as grades four through eight, the middle grades are a known pressure point in the educational pipeline -- a make or break period for determining future academic success. Research has shown that students who are not proficient in reading by the beginning of fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. Similarly,…

State Compensatory Education (SCE) is a supplemental program designed to eliminate disparities in (1) student performance on assessment instruments administered under chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code (1995, amended 2013); and (2) the rates of high school completion between students who are at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by…

This report describes the AISD at-risk student population and expenditures for 2012-2013, results from program evaluations conducted in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, and the longitudinal disparity between performance of at-risk and not-at-risk students.

To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

"JOBSTART" is an alternative education and training program designed to improve the economic prospects of young, disadvantaged high school dropouts by increasing educational attainment and developing occupational skills. The program has four main components: (1) basic academic skills instruction with a focus on GED (General Educational…

THE PURPOSES OF THIS COOPERATIVE STUDY WERE TO LEARN (1) WHETHER POTENTIAL DROPOUTS CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY DEFINITE CHARACTERISTICS, (2) THE TYPE OF GUIDANCE SUCCESSFUL IN HOLDING STUDENTS IN SCHOOL, (3) REASONS STUDENTS GIVE FOR DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL AND THE GRADES AND AT WHICH AGES THEY DROP OUT, AND (4) THE SCHOLASTIC ABILITY OF THE DROPOUTS.…

This paper presents a list of resources on what states are doing on the topic of Black male dropouts. These resources are taken from the report abstracts or summaries. This paper is a response to a request asking for these resources. (Contains 5 footnotes.)

This report examines national and regional dropout rate trends; factors associated with dropping out; efforts these factors; and federal efforts to reduce dropout rates. Information came from interviews with National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) officials; review of NCES data and reports by dropout prevention experts; site visits at…

The purpose of this guide is to help practitioners learn about the at-risk student and dropout problem, and to suggest strategies which increase the chances that those who are at risk of dropping out of school will complete formal education programs. The guide begins with a brief discussion of the extent of the problem and of the social and…

The factors that contribute to student dropouts have been the focus of extensive deliberation during the last decade. Despite expanded attention, the number of dropouts remains unacceptably high. Drawing on the authors' 17-year history of dropout research in Texas, Arizona, and across the country, this article describes the alarming dropout rates,…

As a response to legislative demands, the Texas School Dropout Survey described in this document attempted to identify the magnitude of the dropout problem, regional characteristics or causes of the problem, costs associated with dropping out, and programs currently available for serving the dropout population. Twenty-four major findings of the…