Resources

In this section, you'll find current information about grants, promising practices, reports, and Web sites that promote high school graduation for all students. 

Grants

» $62.2M in Grants - Money to fund longitudinal data systems in 13 states. (Institute of Education Sciences)

»  NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants - Grants given to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Deadline: February 1, 2008.

Promising Practices

»  What's Cool about Middle School? - Mentors help incoming students enter middle school with confidence. From Character Education Partnership.

» Freshmen Using Senior Experience (F.U.S.E.) – Mentoring program to help incoming freshmen make a successful transition to high school. From Character Education Partnership.

» Truancy Court - To improve school attendance, academic success, and self-confidence, Truancy Court arranges for 7th and 8th grade students to meet with family court judge, who serves as the children’s mentor for eight weeks. From Character Education Partnership.

» American Indian/Alaska Natives  ( 211 KB) - Some barriers to learning and success faced by these students, strategies to address the barriers, and additional resources for school personnel. NEA Focus On Series 2004-2005.

» Asian/Pacific Islanders (  215 KB) - Some barriers to learning and success faced by these students, strategies to address the barriers, and additional resources for school personnel. NEA Focus On Series 2004-2005.

» Blacks ( 133 KB) - Some barriers to learning and success faced by these students, strategies to address the barriers, and additional resources for school personnel. NEA Focus On Series 2004-2005.

» Hispanics (  149 KB) - Some barriers to learning and success faced by these students, strategies to address the barriers, and additional resources for school personnel. NEA Focus On Series 2004-2005.

» Women and Girls (  91 KB) - Some barriers to learning and success faced by these students, strategies to address the barriers, and additional resources for school personnel. NEA Focus On Series 2004-2005.

» Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgendered Persons (  825 KB) - Some barriers to learning and success faced by these students, strategies to address the barriers, and additional resources for school personnel. NEA Focus On Series 2004-2005.

» C.A.R.E.: Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gaps
Guide to help educators ensure that all students have access to high-level classes and high-quality teachers and attain more high school and college diplomas. From NEA 2005.

» Improving Your Child's Education  - A guide for Latino parents. (8 pp.) Education Trust, 2004.

Quick Steps - From the States

» High School Redesign - New Mexico legislation targets gaps between school and career and pushes legal dropout age to 18. (PDF, press release)

»  Reach Out to Kids & Create Calm, Quiet, Purposeful Schools  - New England outreach specialists work on students and research scientist, on the learning environment. (Edutopia, 2007)

»  Reaching Out to Families - California community aides help students who repeatedly miss school.

Research, Reports, & Fact Sheets

» When Girls Don't Graduate - Report on the dropout crisis for girls.

» California Dropout Research Project - Site with statistics, publications, and activities in the news.

» Dropout Risk Factors & Exemplary Programs - Dropping out is result of long process of disengagement.

» Dropout Prevention Programs: Ten-year investment  (PDF table)

» What Dropouts Cost Us ( PDF,  83 KB,  6 pp) - A brief on what the nation pays for high schools. (Alliance  for Excellent Education).

» Report on Dropout Rates - U.S. dropout trends over last three decades. (NCES 2007). 

» The Silent Epidemic ( PDF, 1137 KB, 17 pp) - Perspectives of high school dropouts. Gates Foundation Bridgeland Study (also known as the Civic Enterprises Survey). March 2006.

» One-Third of a Nation (  PDF, 1883 KB, 48 pp) - Report of rising dropout rates and declining opportunities. Educational Testing Service, 2005.

» The School Dropout Crisis  - Exploring communitywide solutions. From Learning to Finish, a national initiative of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change.

» School Start Time Report - This report found that starting the school day later is better for adolescents.

» Critical Evidence ( PDF,  957 KB, 24 pp) - Research studies on the relationships between arts and academic and social outcomes for students, including youth who are at risk of dropping out.

» Public High School Graduation and College-Readiness Rates: 1991-2002 - This study calculated graduation rates, both nationally and for each state, for each public school graduating class from 1991 to 2002. Education Commission of States, 2005.

» Fighting the Bully Battle - Fact sheets about bullying and being  bullied and how it can cause kids to withdraw from school. From National School Safety Center (2006).

» What Communities Can Do (PDF) - Research & practice. (Johns Hopkins 2007)

Audio Article

» Dropouts Aren't All 'F' Students (audio) (3:13 min) (NPR)

Book

»  Look Out College, Here I Come! - Governor Michael F. Easley (NC) tells children that it's never too early to start thinking about college and career goals. NEA & Pearson Custom Publishing, 2007.

Web Sites

» Boost Up - Through videos and text, ten students of the class of 2007 talk about who has given them a boost to stay in school and graduate. From the Ad Council & the U.S. Army.

» Connect with Kids -  A commercial group that produces a television series addressing the problems children face and creates a curriculum for K-12. See also Connect with Kids Dropout information.

» Harvard Civil Rights Project - The CRP generates and synthesizes research on key civil rights and equal opportunity policies that have been neglected or overlooked. Here you'll find their work on dropouts and graduation rates.

»  National Dropout Prevention Centers - Providing information & promoting networks to help youth in at-risk situations graduate from high school.

» Project UTurn - Philadelphia citywide campaign for turning around the dropout problem.