Diplomas Now helps schools and communities enable their most vulnerable students succeed in school

The Nation’s Most Challenged Middle and High Schools Educate children who face the double burden of their own poverty and their neighborhoods’ poverty. These schools are not designed to meet this level of student need. Unmet student need, in turn, overwhelms adults in schools. The result: sky-high rates of chronic absenteeism, suspensions and low academic achievement. This prevents building a pathway from poverty to adult success for the nation’s most vulnerable young people. Confidential

Diplomas Now Addresses Early Warning Indicators Future Dropouts Can Be Identified as Early as 6th Grade Research shows sixth-graders with one of these early warning signs have 25 percent or lower graduation rates:1 Poor attendance, behavior and course performance (English and math). Diplomas Now identifies those students early, provides individualized support and helps them get on track. Confidential 1 Robert Balfanz, "Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path," Keynote Address, National Middle School Association, 2009, slide 7

What is Diplomas Now? The Right Support at the Right Time Diplomas Now helps the nation’s most challenged middle and high schools ensure students graduate ready for college or career.   The Right Support at the Right Time For the most vulnerable students and the adults who teach and support them First fully integrated approach that improves teaching and learning while providing student support at the scale and intensity required. Confidential

The Diplomas Now Approach Diplomas Now combines improvements for entire schools with enhanced student support guided by early-warning system. It brings together three nonprofits to partner with highest-need schools and districts: Johns Hopkins University’s Talent Development Secondary provides curriculum/instruction support and early warning system. Communities In Schools provides case-managed support to students with the highest needs. City Year’s “near peer” AmeriCorps members provide individualized and whole-class academic and social-emotional support. Confidential

Investing in Innovation (i3) In 2010, Diplomas Now won federal Investing in Innovation (i3) validation grant to implement its model across 11 school districts and validate its impact on students through randomized control trial. PepsiCo Foundation provided matching grant. Confidential

The Critical Questions Does Diplomas Now reduce Early Warning Indicators (poor attendance, poor behavior, course failure in English and math)? Can it be implemented and sustained in high-needs schools? Does it lead to better outcomes for most vulnerable children? Does it help improve entire schools? Confidential

i3 Study Details 62 low-performing secondary schools in 11 high-poverty districts, recruited in two cohorts. 32 schools randomly assigned to implement Diplomas Now. Other 30 schools did not have Diplomas Now but also underwent reforms. Confidential

Diplomas Now Serves High-Needs Schools and Students in i3 Study Outcomes for 6th and 9th Graders Before Intervention Diplomas Now Schools Comparison Schools Chronically Absent 35.7% 34.3% Suspended 31.9% 28.0% Failing One or More Courses 34.0% 35.6% Characteristics of Study Students When They Enter 6th and 9th Grade Diplomas Now Schools Comparison Schools Free and Reduced Price Lunch 90.8% 90.6% Male 54.2% 54.5% English Language Learner 17.5% 16.0% Special Ed 18.5% 18.2% Over age for Grade 32.3% 32.5% Proficient in English 37.5% 39.1% Proficient in Math 36.0% 38.0% Confidential

Seven-Year Study: Five Reports of Lessons and Findings 2014 1st year implementation report 2015 2nd year implementation and service contrasts report (Are Diplomas Now and comparison schools implementing similar or different reforms?) June 2016 Initial impact findings from students’ first year of multi-year intervention (school years 2012-13 and 2013-14) 2018 Examines relationship between implementation and outcomes 2019 Provides four-year student outcomes including graduation rates and 9th-grade success Confidential

For teachers, increased frequency of: Implementation and Service Contrast Findings: Reports 1 & 2 Key components, such as early-warning system and student support, quickly & successfully established in most challenged schools. Led to statistically significant “service contrasts” for students and teachers compared with schools without Diplomas Now. For teachers, increased frequency of: Using data to drive instruction and target struggling students Teacher collaboration Support from instructional coaches For students, increased frequency of: Coordinated academic and non-academic services Math/English academic help In-class behavioral support The preliminary reports reveal stark contrasts between the schools with Diplomas Now and those without For example, we know teachers in Diplomas Now schools are more frequently using data to inform their instructional practices and target the most struggling students And students in our partner schools are receiving coordinated academic and non-academic support Confidential Contrasts emerged in first year and increased in second year.

NEW, EARLY IMPACT FINDINGS FROM 3RD MDRC REPORT To Be RELEASED JUNE 21, 2016 Results embargoed until then Confidential

Diplomas Now Reduces Early-Warning Indicators Diplomas Now schools had positive, statistically significant increase in percentage of sixth- and ninth-graders with no early-warning indicators (poor attendance, poor behavior and failing math and English). This is key metric Diplomas Now was designed to improve. Why this matters: Eliminating such indicators can triple students’ odds of graduating from high school from 25% to 75% 1 Gaining positive, statistically significant results after only first year of multi-year intervention under challenging conditions is encouraging. Statistical significant, positive impacts in randomized control trials are rare. (Only 1 in 10 such education studies produces positive, meaningful results2) This percentage includes both students kept on track and recovered. Confidential 1 Robert Balfanz, "Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path," Keynote Address, National Middle School Association, 2009, slide 14, 2 Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, “Randomized Controlled Trials Commissioned by the Institute of Education Sciences Since 2002: How Many Found Positive Versus Weak or No Effects,” July 2013.

Diplomas Now Schools Increase Impact Over Time Diplomas Now schools achieved a statistically significant increase in impact from the first to second year of implementation in 6th and 9th grades. Practices in Diplomas Now schools also became more different over time compared with the other schools. Why this matters: Diplomas Now can implement, strengthen and sustain a distinct set of practices that improve outcomes for students. Confidential

Particularly Strong and Important Impacts in the Middle Grades Diplomas Now middle schools achieved positive, statistically significant impact on reducing: Percentage of students with early-warning indicators. Chronic absenteeism. Why this matters: Robust results achieved even when sample size was cut in half to include only middle schools. First rigorous evidence that chronic absenteeism can be reduced in high-poverty middle schools by using early-warning system and student support. Helps validates using Diplomas Now strategies in major efforts, such as White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Student Success Mentor Initiative. Confidential

Emerging High School Findings Diplomas Now had positive impact on percentage of 9th grade students with no early-warning indicators. But with the sample size reduced to include only high schools, finding not statistically significant. Future reports will examine Diplomas Now impact on incrementally reducing 9th graders’ early-warning indicators, such as from three to one indicator. More detail: Strongest impact with first-time 9th graders with no early- warning indicators in 8th grade. Kept them from falling off-track. Impacts not as strong with students who entered 9th grade with multiple early-warning indicators. They likely require more than one year of support, a core Diplomas Now tenant. Confidential

OTHER FINDINGS FROM 3RD MDRC REPORT ON DIPLOMAS NOW Confidential

Report 3: How Does Diplomas Now Impact Broader Student Outcomes? The study also examined impact on a broader group of students to see if there were increases in those who regularly come to school, don’t require disciplinary action and pass all their classes. Study defines this as meeting the normative ABC threshold: passing all courses (including science and social studies)*, zero suspensions* and 90% or higher attendance. For 3 out of 4 student subgroups, Diplomas Now achieved positive, meaningful impacts on this metric. Why this matters: By providing focused support for the most vulnerable students, Diplomas Now appears to enhance a school’s capacity to help other students improve as well. Diplomas Now targets the most struggling students by eliminating early-warning indicators to keep them on path to high school graduation. students who entered 6th grade proficient, students who entered 6th grade not proficient and students who entered 9th grade having achieved normative ABC threshold in 8th grade.** This was not the case for 9th graders who did not achieve normative ABC threshold in 8th grade. ** This impact did not achieve statistical significance because of greatly reduced sample size. Confidential

Report 3: Improvements in Overall Attendance, Course Passing, Behavior In addition to getting students beyond a critical threshold, the study analyzed overall improvement in key metrics across the whole grade: The 6th and 9th grades in Diplomas Now schools increased overall attendance and course-passing rates, and saw decline in suspensions. Comparison schools without Diplomas Now, many of which implemented solid reforms, also improved. Diplomas Now schools had positive, though not statistically significant, impacts for attendance and course performance, compared with schools without Diplomas Now. Despite improvements, Diplomas Now high schools still had slightly higher rates of school suspensions (though not statistically significant) after two years of implementation than the comparison schools. Confidential

Some Lessons and Our Responses Findings validated insights Diplomas Now teams identified through internal tracking during early implementation years and used to improve model in subsequent years. Diplomas Now schools examples: Implemented additional schoolwide strategies to address student behavior starting in year 3 including restorative practices, which empowers students to resolve conflicts. Emphasized prevention strategies for entire schools. In year 3, Diplomas Now teams organized schoolwide “start strong” and “finish strong” efforts and schoolwide attendance challenges. Confidential

Summary: Key Takeaways Diplomas Now achieved positive, statistically significant impact on key metric the model is designed to improve – reducing percentage of students with early-warning indicators. This result and other key findings tell promising story about Diplomas Now schools supporting students and adults in better, more effective ways. Results also show the clear need to provide the most vulnerable students with multiple years of continuous support. Confidential

Summary: Key Takeaways The study’s early implementation and impact results provide initial evidence to support the Diplomas Now theory of action: Combining improvements for entire schools with enhanced student support guided by an early-warning system strengthens the nation’s most challenged schools and keeps more of the most vulnerable students on-track to high school graduation. Confidential

Answering the Critical Questions Does Diplomas Now reduce Early Warning Indicators (poor attendance, poor behavior, course failure in English and math)? YES-Shown in 6th and 9th grade after first year of multi-year intervention. Can it be implemented and sustained in high-needs schools? YES-Implementation and difference from comparison schools grew over time Does it lead to better outcomes for most vulnerable children? So far YES-Fewer high-needs students with early warning indicators in 6th and 9th grades. Future reports will track longer-term outcomes. Does it help improve entire schools? Positive indications-6th and 9th grade attendance and course passing up, and suspensions down over time. Confidential

How Will Diplomas Now Use New Findings? New federal education law – Every Student Succeeds Act – emphasizes evidence-based initiatives and includes new tiers of evidence for a program to be used in low-performing schools and qualify for federal Title I funding. “Strong evidence” – the most rigorous tier – means a program has had at least one randomized study that shows a statistically significant effect on student outcomes. As states and districts craft new improvement plans, Diplomas Now will leverage its strong evidence to work with more high-needs schools and students. Apply for scale-up grant in final round of Investing in Innovation (i3) program. Confidential

Next Steps   Confidential internal briefings in April and May for key stakeholders, according to coordinated roll-out plan. I3 report public release in June 2016. (Results embargoed until official release) MDRC planning fourth report in 2018 analyzing connections between implementation and impact data. Final fifth report in 2019 will look at grad rates and ninth-grade success. Confidential

Want to Learn More? Visit our website at: www.diplomasnow.org Confidential