Using District Longitudinal Data to Inform the Design and Evaluation of Supports for Students at Risk of Not Graduating: A District Collaborative Research Project

• In Event: Longitudinal Data Systems and Tracking Academic and Nonacademic Outcomes

Abstract

This longitudinal study was conducted under the collaboration with a school district. It addresses several questions the district staff are most interested about the students who leave high school without graduating. It shows that students who dropped out or vanished were more likely to be in special education programs, be English Language Learners, or be eligible for receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The dropouts occur more frequently in the junior and senior years of high school. Students who passed the 8th grade reading and/or math tests are less likely to drop out than students who failed. The findings are informative to the district on the design and evaluation of the supports for the students at risk of not graduating.

Authors

• Min Huang, WestEd

• Laura Jaeger, WestEd

• Loan Tran, WestEd

• Andrea Anne Lash, WestEd

• Ben Hayes, Washoe County School District