Superintendent’s Dropout Challenge Integrating Dropout Prevention and School Improvement December 2, 2009 MDE Dropout Challenge Support Team Leisa Gallagher, Challenge Coordinator Jan Ellis, Office of State Superintendent Bersheril Bailey, GLE at Learning Point Assoc. Susan Codere Kelly, HSCE Project Coordinator

Introduced by State Superintendent Flanagan on June 30, 2009 MDE Dropout Challenge Website _ ,00.htmlhttp:// _ ,00.html Dropout Challenge

In every Michigan elementary, middle, and high school Identify students in or nearing a transition year, who exhibit multiple risk factors Provide research-based supports and interventions Dropout Challenge

Turning the Tide Early Warning Signs –Poor grades in core subjects –Grade retention –Low attendance –Disengagement in the classroom Implementing the Challenge Recognizing Progress Challenge Overview

High School Dropouts in America –Who is dropping out? Where are students dropping out? –Why do students drop out? –What are the costs of dropping out? See 2-page handout Alliance for Excellent Education Fact Sheet

Michigan Data Begin with the data The data is not new Why focus on dropout prevention?

CLASS OF 2008 DISTRICT AND BUILDING GRADUATION RATE ANALYSIS 2008 District Graduation Rate Overview Number of School Districts Percent of Districts Number of Students Percent of Students Total Number of School Districts ,564 Districts with Grad Rates at 100%91%2830.2% Districts with Grad Rates from %14023%27, % Districts with Grad rates from 80-89%23038%53, % Districts with Grad rates from 70-79%9516%22, % Districts with Grad rates from 0-69%13522%39, % 2008 All Building Graduation Rate Overview All Buildings Percent of Buildings Number of Students Percent of Students Total Number of School Buildings ,204 Buildings with Grad Rates at 100%232%7720.6% Buildings with Grad Rates from %31933%65, % Buildings with Grad rates from 80-89%21722%33, % Buildings with Grad rates from 70-79%626%10,2417.8% Buildings with Grad rates from 60-69%445%5,9954.6% Buildings with Grad rates from 50-59%475%2,4351.9% Buildings with Grad rates from 40-49%364%1,8281.4% Buildings with Grad rates from 30-39%394%1,7241.3% Buildings with Grad rates from 20-29%657%2,7092.1% Buildings with Grad rates from 10-19%647%3,7132.8% Buildings with Grad rates from 0-9%566%2,6452.0% 76% or 99,914 students attend 559 schools where eight out of ten students graduate 9.6% or 12,619 students attend 289 schools where less than 1 out of 2 students graduate 7.5% or 9,896 students attend 185 schools where less than 1 out of every three students graduate

Recommendations, p. 6 Diagnostic –Identify students at risk of dropping out Targeted Interventions –Assign adult advocates –Provide academic support and enrichment –Implement programs to improve classroom behavior Schoolwide Interventions –Personalize the learning environment –Provide rigorous and relevant instruction Dropout Prevention IES Practice Guide

Recommendation Checklist, pp Lists 6 recommendations with tasks Supporting information for each recommendation –Level of evidence –Brief summary of evidence to support recommendation –How to carry out recommendation –Potential roadblocks and suggested approaches Conclusion Appendix D – Technical information on the studies Dropout Prevention IES Practice Guide

IES Recommendation Checklist, pp For each recommendation, indicate Green dot – practice currently in place Yellow dot – practice in development, needs strengthening Red dot – practice critical, need to adopt Gallery Walk

Summarize Responses Resources to Support Recommendations Gallery Walk Reflection

National High School Center –Developing Early Warning Systems to Identify Potential High School Dropouts Guide Tool –Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs with Appropriate Interventions (See excerpt in packet) Resources

Adapted from NHS Center Tool Student Information A,B,Cs Attendance Behavior Content - Academic Course/Credit Michigan Student Information Log Early Warning Signs (EWS)

Bringing Off-Track Youth into the Center of High School Reform Jobs for the Future Lessons and Tools from Leading Communities –Improving Schools’ Capacity to Keep Students On Track –Expanding the Options –Improving and Supporting Options Implementation Resource

Everyone Graduates (Johns Hopkins) Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path (Balfanz) Center on Instruction America’s Promise Additional Resources

Integrating Dropout Prevention in the School Improvement Plan Where do the Dropout Prevention Recommendations fit in the School Improvement Framework? Does your school improvement plan extend deep enough to –reduce the dropout risk? –address the interaction between the As, Bs, and Cs? Use matrix to analyze alignment.

Dropout Prevention Focus on –Awareness –Developing EWS and Supports –Identify students –Share results System-wide initiative –Fully integrated into school improvement plan

Graduation Town Digital Learning Community For Challenge Schools Supported by Title IID Technology Funds Hosted by MASSP Stay tuned for more information

Dropout Prevention Summit Date in February 2010 TBD Additional support for identifying and supporting students at risk of dropping out Emphasis on taking research to practice Survey: Live and/or e-conference options

Leisa Gallagher Dropout Challenge Coordinator Jan Ellis Office of the Superintendent Contact Information Susan Codere Kelly HSCE Project Coordinator Bersheril Bailey MDE Liaison, GLE at Learning Point Associates