Intervening Successfully to Keep Middle Grades Students on Track to Graduation: Early Findings of the Diplomas Now Turnaround Model

• In Event: Improving Outcomes and Engagement for Middle Grade Students: Evidence From Schools and Classrooms

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare student on-track indicator data (attendance, grades, and behavior) before and after the implementation of interventions for students at ten middle grades Diplomas Now schools.

Theoretical Framework: Improving outcomes for students in low-performing high schools requires breaking the cycle of poor attendance and behavior, course failure, grade retention, and eventual dropout (Allensworth & Easton, 2007; Balfanz, Herzog, & Mac Iver, 2007). Close monitoring of student performance and provision of interventions for attendance, behavior, and academic course performance in the “Check and Connect” program have shown evidence of effectiveness (U.S. Department of Education, 2009; Sinclair, Christenson, Lehr, & Anderson, 2003). These findings informed development of the Diplomas Now model, which combines Talent Development’s comprehensive set of evidence-based, organizational, instructional, and professional development whole school reforms, supports, and materials with an early warning indicator and multi-tiered student support system to enable high needs secondary schools to get the right intervention to the right student at the right time, at the scale and intensity required (Balfanz, 2011). It integrates into the model the core strengths of two national non-profits (City Year and Communities in Schools) that support students and have strong evidence of impact. Two critical elements of the TD-DN design allow for successful integration and implementation of the model. First, the early warning data system is used to flag students who exhibit an off-track indicator - poor attendance, behavior, or course performance. Second, and most essential, is that great care and effort is taken to integrate the TD-DN turnaround model into the day-to-day operations of the school.

Data Sources and Methods: Diplomas Now middle grades schools (11 schools in 6 districts) provided researchers with student data (demographics, grade level, attendance, behavior/suspension measures, course grades) both prior to intervention and several times during the course of the interventions implemented during 2010-11. Descriptive comparison statistics on measures of attendance, behavior, and course performance were calculated for each point in time to analyze change that could be associated with the interventions.

Results: Preliminary findings in 2009-10 indicated significant reductions in chronic absenteeism, negative behavior, and course failure at three Philadelphia middle schools (Figure 1). There was a 55% decrease in students with poor attendance; a 52% decrease in students with negative behavior incidences; and a roughly 80% decrease in the number of students failing math and English. The proposed presentation will include pre- and post-intervention comparative data for the eleven schools in 2010-11.

Scholarly Significance: Preliminary evidence of the association of these interventions with improved student attendance, behavior, and course grades provides justification for proceeding with a larger scale, randomized control study comparing students at Diplomas Now Schools with control students (now underway by MDRC, funded by I3 grant from the U.S. Department of Education).

Authors

• Douglas J. Maciver, Johns Hopkins University

• Martha Abele Mac Iver, Johns Hopkins University

• Veronica Peleshchuk Fradlin, John Hopkins University