Internationally, there is a gap in high-school completion rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. In Australia, gap estimates are commonly based on lag indicators, precluding examination of underlying mechanisms. Using two longitudinal representative samples of Australian youth, we explored differences in high-school completion between…

This descriptive study surveyed the perceptions of teachers, counselors, and administrators on issues pertaining to school services and academic and instructional challenges of English Learners (ELs) in NYC public high schools. This study attempted to identify factors that increase the dropout rate of high school English learners. In addition,…

Four-day school week schedules are being adopted with increasing frequency, particularly in rural areas. In this paper, we consider the academic implications of students in Oregon attending a four-day school week for the first time when they enter high school. We find 11th grade math achievement in 0.09 standard deviations lower among four-day…

Even after significant education turnaround efforts supported by federal and state agencies, achievement gaps between white students and students of color and students not living in poverty and students living in poverty persist (McFarland et al., 2018). Student academic outcomes are often driven by factors unrelated to teaching in classrooms…

In this dissertation, I examine various factors shaping students' trajectories and opportunities later in life. In Chapter 1, I explore the role of grade retention policies. Grade retention as a remedial policy is controversial because the benefits of extra instruction time may not outweigh its costs. Previous research has primarily examined…

In its regulatory attention on school-level graduation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) continues what is historically a federal effort to define graduation and dropping out. These efforts rely on methodology which may not accurately represent the measured outcome. The purpose of this research article is to examine the historical accuracy of…

This fact sheet presents the graduation and dropout rates in Alaska for school years 2004-2005 to 2016-2017. The graduation rate methodology reflects a federal mandate requiring all 50 states to use a uniform graduation rate that is to be reported for all public high schools in the country. This rate, known as the "Four Year Adjusted Cohort…

In Israel, the awareness on the youth dropout from school problem has increased in the last decade. There is no doubt that dealing with this phenomenon poses a challenge to the Israeli society and to the authorities responsible for educational services. It turns out that certain groups among the Israeli population are at a higher risk of dropping…

The 4-year graduation rate for Colorado students in foster care decreased substantially from the 2015-2016 school year to the 2016-2017 school year, from 33.2% to 23.6%. This study examines trends in state-level child welfare and education data to uncover possible explanations for this decline. Students in the 2017 foster care cohort tended to…

In the United States, high school attendance and drop-out are important policy concerns receiving extensive coverage in the research literature. Traditionally, the focus in this work is on the summary of dropout rates and mean attendance rates in specific schools, regions or socio-economic groups. However, the question how stable those attendance…

The Kansas Graduate and Dropout Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of how the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) calculates and reports the Adjusted Cohort Graduation and Annual Dropout Rates. Sections include: (1) Introduction; (2) Terminology; (3) Data Sources; (4) Kansas Individual Data on Students (KIDS) Reports; (5) Public…

The dropout rate of minority students, mainly African American male special education students in the public school system, is a grave concern for society for many years. The youth who drop out of high school often ends up unemployed and in legal complications. His higher education chances become non-existence, and the student's situation causes…

This study examines a college readiness program at building resilience among economically disadvantaged Latino high school students. The aim of the program was to build resiliency among at-risk Latino youth and was implemented in a large, public, independent school district in the Southwest United States. The data were examined through pre-…

This paper evaluates the impact of extension of the school day in the context of Brazil's "Mais Educação" Extended School Day Program. Using school level longitudinal data, we find that the program reduces the dropout rates of students in all grade levels, raises the enrollment of students in grades 6-9, but reduces the enrollment of…

This Information Capsule reviews the research conducted on elementary level grade retention. Research findings on the effect of retention on elementary students' outcomes are inconsistent. One widely accepted conclusion is that when retention occurs, it should be accompanied by additional interventions designed to increase students' academic…