Dropout Prevention

First, your team has to care. Look at individuals. Know your students' faces with names. Then the conversation will have meaning.

Brainstorm a list of all the reasons students may drop out.  Typically there is an exit procedure that provides this basic information.  However, talk with administrators, counselors, students, to get a better picture.

Make a list of the reasons, then create a list of interventions for each.  For example, if a student doesn't have appropriate resources, the administrator should be able to gather a support team to provide resources.

Other ideas copied from a 2010 dropout prevention document:

 

1.  Identify reasons students decide to dropout.

2.  Identify early warning symptoms that students are dropping out.

3.  Match various interventions to symptoms and reasons to address needs of individual students.

4.  Include Early Warning/Interventions in regular meetings to address student issues in a timely manner.

5.  Determine responsible parties for monitoring individual students and providing support for interventions.

6.  Continue to add interventions to list as new, creative ideas are found.

6.  Continue to review and revise the list to increase effectiveness.

 

Early Warning Symptom                           Possible Intervention

 

Attendance                                                        Phone contact to parent

Attendance Coordinator as intervention team member

Drug Education Coordinator as intervention team member

                                                                        Designated teacher/homeroom teachers/mentor makes personal contact

                                                                        Communication across grade levels for early alert

 

Transfer schools                                                Middle school counseling groups for students that move in during middle school

                                                                        High school counseling groups for students who move in during high school

                                                                        Identify students for homeroom/mentors/advisors

                                                                        Assign student buddy (student council project)

                                                                        Communication across grade levels and for students’ teachers

 

Short on credits                                                 SAT to review possible credit recovery options

                                                                        GPA letters sent annually

                                                                        Phone contact with parent

                                                                        School offers multiple credit recovery options

 

Family issues                                                    Counselor sessions

                                                                        Counseling groups (short term)

                                                                        Intervention team suggests resources and agencies

Referral to agencies as needed

 

Failed 9^th grade courses                                  LA, Algebra (& other departments according to school data)

 

                                                                        Provide teacher training on freshman strategies

                                                                       Change of schedule for at-risk students?

                                                                        Place student with different teacher and develop individual plan when repeating course

                                                                        June or summer intervention meeting for students who are retained in 9^th grade

                                                                        Work with freshman team to improve failure rate

                                                                        Invite to a community support group

                                                                        Enroll in peer support/tutoring

                                                                        Use data wall to identify areas of need in the school

 

Low basic skills                                                 Utilize Apangea (middle and high school) or similar skills program

                                                                        Utilize Wilson (middle and high school)

                                                                        Increase tutoring/assistance/motivation

                                                                        Critical skills intervention (elementary) – before, during, after school and summer programs

                                                                        Reverse inclusion when available

                                                                        Participate in service learning by reading to younger or less capable students

                                                                        Develop individualized checklist of skill goals to be met

                                                                        Use data wall to identify areas of need in the school

 

Special education student issues                    Navigate program for motivation

                                                                        IEP meeting to review options

                                                                        School diagnostician included as intervention team member

                                                                       

Behavior problems                                          Elementary counselors

Middle school counseling group

                                                                        High school counseling group

                                                                        Carry over from middle to high school to provide extra support when starting 9^th grade

                                                                        Teach communication skills for working with others

                                                                        Use Navigate or other program to increase motivation

                                                                        Counselor meetings after incidents

                                                                        Develop and implement behavior plan

 

Substance issues                                              Refer to Drug Education Coordinator

                                                                        Provide local support information to parent

                                                                        School sends one contact to monthly county summit meetings

                                                                       

Lack of motivation                                             Match student with adult mentor from career in field of interest

                                                                        Assign job at school, in class, etc.

                                                                        Use Navigate or similar program

                                                                        Schedule student in high-interest course and/or with preferred teachers

                                                                        Complete interest and aptitude inventories – counseling sessions to discuss options

                                                                        Involve students as leaders in finding ways to develop motivation

                                                                        Encourage and support involvement in club, activity, sport

                                                                        Counseling to discuss personal goals and review options (high school, postsecondary, CTE, GED)

                                                                        Develop personal checklist

                                                                        Invite to a community support group

 

Family Responsibilities or Pregnancy                  Referral to support agencies

                                                                        Attendance Coordinator

                                                                        SAT to review schedule, workload, etc. – consider modifications

 

 

                                                                       

General Interventions:

• Mentoring (school-based topics based on data to address needs of school)
• Homeroom (regular check points with students throughout high school)
• SAT process
• SAP coordinator
• Special Education placement
• Counselor availability
• Freshman Transition Program
• Link Crew activities
• Freshman Opening Day
• Monthly transition activities for 8^th graders and their parents
• Data “War” Room
• Student Leadership Council
• 45-Day Action Plans
• Data Wall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

School Improvement

This won't be a popular statement, but here it goes....

I have not seen any true school improvement occur because of money.

Okay, there it is.

School improvement comes from the heart of the school - the people.  It's the collaborative, caring atmosphere that puts kids first.  It's the continuous progress as the team learns together and moves forward.  It's the trust and community built over time.

Money is okay, but it isn't what makes any difference.  If so, education and other government-fed programs would have shown some progress by now.  A lot of money is awarded for many reasons.

Here is an example of money being thrown at a problem.  I was on a review team in a school district.  The district had received money, resources, extra staff, etc.  During the visit, I went to see the sparkling new computer lab and how it was being utilized.  The teacher was so excited to show me that every computer was occupied by a student and that a chart in the room indicated regular use of the new lab.  When asked what students were doing on their computers, the response was vague - they could do whatever they wanted.  A discussion followed:  How do students use their time to get the most out of their computer time?  What formative assessments allow students to know what they need to improve?  Can the lab be better utilized for specific lessons and/or activities that target student needs?

Parent Involvement

One of our most successful strategies for parent involvement in our middle school involved having a list in advance of all the opportunities available.  Each item on the list was made into a separate sign-in page along with a brief description.  All of the sign-in sheets were placed on tables (near the refreshment tables, of course) at the first Open House.  Parents were encouraged to sign up for as many areas as they wished.   The sign-in sheet requested basic information - name, student's name, grade, and contact information.  A few examples of volunteer activities are beautification committee, academic team calling list, academic team parent chair, clerical help, library helper, dance supervisor, lunchtime helper, etc.

After Open House, the pages were copied and distributed to appropriate teacher sponsors, parent leaders. This gave everyone a pool of people to contact and also helped us get organized quickly with our parent volunteers.

A big event was the annual landscaping event.  One of our volunteer activities was a school grounds/landscaping committee.  During the year, the committee worked on various projects as needed.  However, the big event was scheduled for summer when everyone was out of school.  The date was announced in the spring so that everyone would know when it would be held well in advance (and before everyone headed off to summer break).  We had a large turnout that included students, parents, service employees, teachers, counselors, administrators.  Everyone would bring their own tools and maybe a flower to plant.  The school would provide supplies and have an overview of what we'd like to accomplish.  Everyone worked in small groups on projects all day.....painting/cleaning signs, cleaning out flowerbeds, digging up weeds, refurbishing picnic tables, adding plants, etc. - whatever we needed to prepare a nice environment for the first day of school.  The principal (me at the time) would order pizza for lunch. 

We enjoyed working together and developed great relationships across our school community.  We also ensured a great looking (albeit older) building to greet students that first week of school.

Special Note:  It's important to build a positive relationship first.  It's much easier to discuss problems with parents if they already know you and know that you care about kids and the school.

Planned Gradualism

I am not sure where I first learned this term, but I think it was during middle childhood training in my early years as a teacher.  As I became an administrator and gained experience, its importance became clear.

Planned Gradualism refers to the transition of expectations, policies, procedures from one grade level to the next and from one programmatic level to the next.  Let's look at a typical high school configuration as an example.  For a high school that encompasses grades 9 through 12, it is appropriate to expect the same thing from a 9th grader as we do for a senior?

As a middle school principal, I kept a chart of transitions by grade, topic, subject and continued to develop the plan over time.  Teachers and other members of the school community were supportive of the effort and offered support and suggestions.  It helped us build a team spirit as we focused on supporting and frontloading student success.

Some examples of topics and activities to consider include academic schedule, lunch schedule, proximity of team to main office, study skills lessons, career portfolios, community service projects, disciplinary interventions, technology project, morning arrival schedule, and much more.  The overall school counseling plan should also be articulated across grade levels and based on student needs.  A new student plan should be in place .  For example, all incoming 6th graders in a 6-8 middle school are new and need specific programs and procedures in place for an effective transition.  Keep other new student in mind as well - what happens to support a new 7th grader who arrives in mid-year?

Focus on student success.  What else can we do to make our school better for kids?

White Flag

As we prepare to start training new leaders, I am thinking of a favorite new leader memory. 

Scenario:

• My first job as principal
• Not really familiar with certain aspects of school office procedures
• Made a mess of something because of a decision I made
• Realized I made a mess from the secretary/accountant's facial expression....

So what did I do?

I asked her what happened.  She explained the extra work involved because of the decision I made, but  that she would work diligently to make the changes.

Since it was a decision that was based on lack of knowledge and experience, and not a necessity, I rescinded the decision and made a simpler, more informed choice. 

In order to work things out and make up for my error, I found a white shirt in the "lost and found" and stuck it on the end of a yardstick.  I went back to the office and stuck the "flag of truce" through the office door.  The laughter that followed told me everything would be alright.

A sense of humor certainly helps in this crazy job.   I was also willing to learn from someone who knew more than I.  We are friends to this day.