This paper summarizes a three-year quasi-experimental evaluation with school-level assignment of a social-emotional learning (SEL) program for high school students who are at-risk of dropping out before college graduation. The field-initiated program aimed to increase students' social and emotional skills, develop their character, and increase…

The purpose of this review article was to examine the turbulence of the current educational context in light of COVID-19 and the associated school closures, for disengaged high school students, often over-aged, who are nearing the end of their academic journeys. In this review, I provide a concise overview of the way that the high school dropout…

Teachers are crucial agents in adolescents' school life, and teachers' roles involve both academic and socio-emotional functions. This study examined how first-year students in upper secondary school in Norway (n = 1379) perceive aspects of teacher support (emotional support, feedback quality, and autonomy granting), and the associations with…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, dropping out is a persistent problem among 15- to 24-year-olds. Researchers have noted school districts that have been able to improve graduation rates have often done so through the "development of innovative models and pathways that help young people get back on track to…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs not only prepare students for the workplace, but they have also been associated with better academic outcomes, including graduation rates (e.g., Castellano et al., 2012). This study is a longitudinal examination of the 2011-2012 first-time 9th grade cohort in the School District of Philadelphia. Across…

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

This report summarizes the results to date of the ongoing Colorado Study of Students in Foster Care. The Colorado Study is a longitudinal study of educational outcomes of students in foster care and factors that affect these outcomes, which is intended to inform systems-level reform. The research is conducted in partnership with the Colorado…

Tackling early leaving from education and training (ELET) is one of the main education policy targets of the European Union and many of its member states. This paper offers new insights on this issue by studying how so-called at-risk students develop their educational trajectory by embedding their attitudes towards and engagement in schooling…

Ninth grade is a critical juncture for students--and can be a jarring transition. Even students a strong track record in the middle grades can experience academic difficulty, and those who enter high school with poor course grades, weak attendance, or behavior problems are especially at risk. An early misstep can have lasting implications:…

The "2022 Comprehensive Biennial Report on Texas Public Schools" describes the status of Texas public education, as required by §39.332 of the Texas Education Code. The report contains 16 chapters on the following topics: (1) state progress on academic performance indicators; (2) student performance on state assessments; (3) performance…

Background: Students with early-starting conduct problems often do poorly in school; they are disproportionately placed in restrictive educational placements outside of mainstream classrooms. Although intended to benefit students, research suggests that restrictive placements may exacerbate the maladjustment of youth with conduct problems. Mixed…

High school graduation rates remain unacceptably low in the U.S., especially among disadvantaged youth (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, & KelalRamani, 2011; Stillwell, 2010), with troubling implications for future earnings and employment status (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Check & Connect (C&C) is an individualized program that pairs…

The "2020 Comprehensive Biennial Report on Texas Public Schools" describes the status of Texas public education, as required by §39.332 of the Texas Education Code. The report contains 16 chapters on the following topics: (1) state progress on academic performance indicators; (2) student performance on state assessments; (3) performance…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of dropout predictors across time. Two state-level high school graduation panels were selected to begin with the seventh and ninth grades but end at the same time. The first panel (seventh grade) contained 29,554 students and used sixth grade predictors. The second panel (ninth grade)…

The purpose of this study was to explore the direct and indirect effects of SWPBIS on high school dropout. This study uses structural equation modeling to describe the web of relationships among important high school level outcomes and SWPBIS in a sample of 883 high schools from 37 states. Results suggest that SWPBIS has statistically significant…