Efforts to improve outcomes for students amidst a climate of school accountability have led to a myriad of education initiatives, perhaps none as profound and widespread as the tiered intervention models offered by the RTI and MTSS frameworks. While those who advocate for tiered intervention models argue that these systems bring support to…

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated, "'Faith' is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase." (Waterford, 2020). This type of blind faith has been a vocal proponent in the triumphs of minorities since the beginning of time (Liviatan, 2011). It is this same faith that William James speaks of when he says,…

Last spring, the Covid-19 pandemic upended routines for over 56 million students and challenged more than 3.7 million teachers in over 130,000 schools nationwide to continue educating kids in an online format. This transition to "virtual learning" was understandably trying for all educators, schools, and districts, but some managed to do…

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…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Louisiana State Youth Opportunities Unlimited (LSYOU) program. (LSYOU is an intensive 8-week residential dropout prevention program held at Louisiana State University that provided work experience, academic training, counseling, supportive services, recreation, health care, team support, and training in…