Check & Connect: The Impact of a Dropout Prevention Program on Course Completion and Graduation

• In Event: 75.061 - Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 75.061-5 - Evaluating Programs for At-Risk Youth

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a three-year evaluation of the Check & Connect program in one large urban district. Our randomized control trial includes 553 students whose 8th and 9th grade data identified them as at-risk of dropping out of high school; 276 of these students were randomly selected to participate in the Check & Connect mentoring program. While on-time graduation is the main outcome of interest, program effectiveness is also evaluated using measures typically used to monitor students’ progress through high school: persistent enrollment, academic performance, and attendance. This study is the first rigorous evaluation of Check & Connect with a sample of at-risk students who do not receive special education services.

Authors

• Kristina Lillian Zeiser, American Institutes for Research

• Jessica Heppen, American Institutes for Research

• Mindee M. Ocummings, American Institutes for Research

• Nicholas Mills, American Institutes for Research

• Lindsay Poland, American Institutes for Research