REL Midwest conducted a systematic review of research on interventions that may improve academic outcomes for Black students. The review entailed a search for studies that provide evidence at Tier I (strong evidence), Tier II (moderate evidence), or Tier III (promising evidence) according to the Every Student Succeeds Act, and explicitly mention…

This research study aims to better understand the diversity of experiences and backgrounds among Black and Latino male students in Boston Public Schools (BPS) by examining enrollment and outcomes of Black and Latino males relative to their female peers and their male peers from other racial backgrounds. Specifically, the authors designed this…

State and local education officials in New Jersey tout the state's high school graduation rate as the highest in the nation. At the same time, independent research indicates that 40 percent of students in Newark drop out and only half of African-American students in urban districts graduate. Meanwhile, there is increasing concern in New Jersey…

Research has documented a crisis in Texas high school graduation rates. Only 67 percent of Texas students graduate from high school, and some large urban districts have graduation rates of 50 percent or lower. This study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in Texas and examines how school choice could provide large public benefits…

The South Dakota State Department of Education and Cultural Affairs collected information on dropouts for the 1991-92 school year from all South Dakota schools and school districts providing instruction for grades 7-12. This included 178 public school districts and 44 nonpublic schools. Dropout rates were calculated as the number of dropouts in…

The school year 1991-92 was the first in which states reported school district level data on the numbers and types of dropouts in the Common Core of Data (CCD) Agency Universe Survey. Information included numbers of male and female dropouts in 5 racial/ethnic categories for grades 7 through 12. The CCD defined a dropout as a student who had been…

As a large body of high-quality research has emerged in the past few years showing that school choice benefits the students who use it, much of the debate has shifted to the "public" or "social" effects of school choice. This study examines how school choice in Missouri would raise high school graduation rates, and measures the…

This study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in Indiana, and examines how school choice would provide large public benefits by increasing the graduation rate in Indiana public schools. It calculates the annual cost of high school dropouts in Indiana due to lower state income tax payments, increased reliance on Medicaid, and…

A review of North Carolina public preschool, elementary school, and secondary school education was done with the aim of increasing school districts' effectiveness in improving outcomes for all students, particularly improving the low achievement and postsecondary school attendance rates of African American males. Focus was on determining the…