Teachers, principals, superintendents and school board members must be vigilant. The race is on to ready their schools for more rigorous standards that demand new kinds of teaching and computer-based testing. They have two years to complete the necessary professional development, upgrade and expand their technology infrastructure, and prepare…

Implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS), now adopted in a large majority of states, requires significant support. To realize the potential of these new college- and career-ready standards, states must focus significant attention on how to prepare educators for implementation. Key among the strategies is high-quality, sustained…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent an unparalleled opportunity for students with disabilities. But this opportunity will be realized only if states, districts, and schools approach the implementation of these standards with forethought and careful planning, particularly for students with disabilities. The CCSS were developed for all…

Getting and keeping "all" young people engaged in learning and on track to graduate from high school ready for college and the 21st century workplace is going to require wider, deeper, and more systemic change. Recent policy focus on raising standards for high school graduation and aligning high school curriculum to college entrance requirements…

The National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) at Clemson University has been at the forefront of identifying model dropout prevention programs and promoting the use of best practices to increase the graduation rates in schools since 1986. The structure for these varied interventions and solutions takes the form of effective strategies, model…

By now people are all too familiar with the disheartening numbers: approximately 7,000 students drop out each day, which means nearly one-third of high school students will not graduate with their peers. The statistics are even more staggering for minority and low-income students, especially in the nation's largest urban districts, where less than…

In this article, three practitioners--a superintendent, a principal, and a teacher--examine how and why students drop out. The superintendent shares a new strategy to lower dropout rates, the principal discusses what are essential for schools that want to improve the achievement and graduation rates of English language learner (ELL) students, and…

School administrators and teachers are often implicated, when the topic of dropouts and low graduation rates arises, for their alleged failure to make schools effectively engaging for students and their families. However, this may be simplifying a situation that is comprised of many complexities. Even an amply inspiring school program may not…

This article discusses how three student populations are faring with graduation rates. These include the following: (1) English language learners (ELLs); (2) students with disabilities; and (3) rural school students. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables and 31 endnotes.)

This article contains a compendium of dropout prevention resources. Resources include organizations, web resources and tools, and reports and studies.