• An Analysis of States' Annual Performance Report Data for Indicator 1 (Graduation)
  NDPC-SD Annual Performance Reviews (APRs) of States' Performance Plan Data related to Indicator 1 (Graduation) for 2005-2006.

• An Analysis of States' Annual Performance Report Data for Indicator 2 (Dropout)
  NDPC-SD Annual Performance Reviews (APRs) of States' Performance Plan Data related to Indicator 2 (Dropout) for 2005-2006.

• Dropout Prevention for Students with Disabilities: A Critical Issue for State Education Agencies
  by the National High School Content Center

• The Role of Parents in Dropout Prevention: Strategies that Promote Graduation and School Achievement
  This publication is a collaborative effort of the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) and PACER Center.

• Identifying Potential Dropouts: Key Lessons for Building an Early Warning Data System
  A white paper prepared for Staying the Course: High Standards and Improved Graduation Rates, a joint project of Achieve and Jobs for the Future, funded by Carnegie Corp. of New York

• What It Takes To Graduate for the Class of 2007
  by Sterling Lloyd, Editorial Projects in Education Research Center Brief provides context for understanding high school graduation rates and the high school reform debates more generally.

• Ending the Silent Epidemic
  Resources and materials from the National Dropout Prevention Summit in Washington, DC May 2007

• Dropout Prevention for Students with Disabilities: Evidence-based Programs that Work NDPC-SD presented at the Oklahoma Transition Institute in Norman, OK on June 26, 2007. The session, entitled Dropout Prevention for Students with Disabilities: Evidence-based Programs that Work, was attended by approximately 25 teachers and school/district transition coordinators.

• Recommendations for Teachers by Dr. Sandra Covington-Smith Big Ideas: Dropout Prevention Strategies, 2007 Big Idea: Teachers have the opportunity to intervene naturally and frequently within their classrooms each day and can provide support and opportunities for students that buffer "push effects" that lead to dropout.

• Collecting Post-School Outcome Data: Strategies for Increasing Response Rates
  The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) is pleased to announce the following OSEP approved document "Collecting Post-School Outcome Data: Strategies for Increasing Response Rates" prepared in partnership with the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO) at the University of Oregon. In this document, Drs. Sandra Covington Smith and Loujeania Williams Bost from NDPC-SD provides an overview of the IDEA requirements to collect post-school outcome data, challenges faced by states in collecting these data, and recommended strategies from survey literature and state and local practice to secure sufficient response rates, especially from youth who are drop out of school. Links to the document and other related documents about post-school outcomes are below.

• Effective Instruction: An Inconspicuous Strategy for Dropout Prevention by Dr. Loujeania W. Bost and Dr. Paul RiccominiRemedial and Special Education Journal, Volume 27, Number 5 (September/October 2006) Although researchers have clearly connected dropping out of school to prolonged low achievement, to date, effective teaching practices are largely absent from the milieu of interventions and programs that are employed by schools to address dropout prevention. As such, effective instructional design and delivery as a focus for keeping students with disabilities in school appears to be an inconspicuous strategy for dropout prevention. We provide an overview of dropout prevention efforts by researchers and federal, state, and local educators; a rationale for connecting effective teaching principles to the challenge of graduating students with disabilities; and a brief overview of 10 effective teaching principles and how they relate to academic success that leads to school completion. Practical strategies that teachers can use to make their instruction more effective are also included.

• Building Effective Dropout Preventions Programs
  by Dr. Loujeania W. Bost Since 2004, the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) has synthesized available research and practice in the area of dropout prevention for students with disabilities. Our efforts have yielded insights into why youth with disabilities drop out, the consequences faced by these youth, and effective prevention strategies. In this article, we share with you some of the key strategies and recommendations gleaned from research and practice. These strategies and recommendations can be used by state or local administrators as well as educators to guide the development of dropout prevention programs for students with disabilities.

• NDPC-SD analyzed the information that states provided about their performance and activities related to Indicators 1 and 2 (Graduation and Dropout, respectively) in the 2005 State Performance Plans (SPPs). These reports may be viewed using the links below:

  • Indicator 1: Graduation
  • Indicator 2: Dropout

Additional Resources:

• Georgia Graduation Stories
  The stories of the journey Georgia middle and high school students travel on their way to becoming successful high school graduates is the major focus of this blog. As we share these stories with each other, we create the possibility of connections, celebrations, and a more personal view of factors that challenge Georgia ’s high school graduation rate.