In 2012, Dr. Sam Drew, Interim Executive Director of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) announced the inauguration of the NDPC/N Fellows Program. The goal of the NDPC/N Fellows is to contribute to the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University and the National Dropout Prevention Network in achieving their mission to increase the high school graduation rates through research and evidence-based solutions.
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National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Announces Staff Additions and Changes
CLEMSON, SC—The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N), located at Clemson University, Clemson, SC, has named Dr. Howard (Sandy) Addis as its new Associate Director, effective May 1, 2013. Dr. Addis joins NDPC/N with a wealth of educational leadership experience in public education where he has served as a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, principal, system-level https://dropoutprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/C.W.-Gardenhire-pic.jpgistrator, and most recently as director of Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency, serving 14 school systems across northeastern Georgia. “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to contribute to the work of NDPC/N,” said Addis. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen students, schools, school districts, and whole states benefit from the research and services of NDPC/N. It is a pleasure to now be a part of that work.”
NDPC/N also named two new Assistant Directors in February: Mr. John Gailer and Ms. Cairen Withington. Mr. Gailer has been at NDPC/N since 2011 as Program Coordinator where his prior experience in marketing and outreach has been invaluable. He has been promoted to Assistant Director of Programs and Outreach, effective immediately. Ms. Withington has been at NDPC/N since 2006, primarily involved in research and dissemination. She has also been instrumental in initiating an internal evaluation system for programs and services as well as in assistance with communications. Ms. Withington has been promoted to Assistant Academic Director of Research, Evaluation, and Public Relations.
Executive Director, Dr. Beth P. Reynolds commented, “I cannot begin to express how excited we all are to have these three leaders at the National Dropout Prevention Center. Each of them brings incredible experience and insight that already is helping to advance the mission and vision of our organization. Everyone who works here is deeply committed to our mission. We welcome Sandy to the NDPC/N team and are delighted for both John and Cairen as they begin functioning in their new roles.”
About NDPC/N: For over 25 years, the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) has served as a clearinghouse on issues and solutions related to dropout prevention. NDPC/N leverages its deep research, evaluation, professional learning, and customized outreach experience to tailor solutions focused on increasing the graduation rate in America’s schools. The research arm of our organization—the Center—conducts research and evaluation studies related to dropout prevention and disseminates findings. Network outreach activities include third-party evaluations, publications, customized support, and national and regional conferences attracting participants from every state in the nation (link for more information on NDPC/N conferences and events).
National Dropout Prevention Network Announces New Board of Directors Officers
CLEMSON, SC—The Board of Directors of the National Dropout Prevention Network (NDPN), based at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, announces the election of new board officers. The officers were elected at the most recent Board Meeting on February 16, 2013, in Myrtle Beach, SC, just prior to the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) 25th Annual National At-Risk Youth National FORUM. New officers, who function as the Board’s Executive Committee, are Dr. Eurmon Hervey, Jr., NDPN Chair; Mr. Raymond McNulty, NDPN Vice Chair; and Mr. Bob Collins, NDPN Recording Secretary.
The NDPC/N is a public/private organization which for more than 25 years has served as a clearinghouse on issues and solutions related to dropout prevention. NDPC/N leverages its deep research, evaluation, professional learning, and customized outreach experience to tailor client solutions focused on increasing the graduation rate in America’s schools. The National Dropout Prevention Network (NDPN) Board of Directors, a diverse and dynamic group of business and educational leaders from across the country, is empowered to oversee the NDPN, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the NDPC/N organization committed to providing resources and services that support local, state, and national practitioners as well as community-based organizations. Through resources such as its Web site, conferences, presentations, reports, publications, and professional learning activities, NDPC/N reaches network members and conference attendees from every state in the nation with the latest news, research, and strategies related to dropout prevention
Dr. Eurmon Hervey, the new Board Chairman, is the Executive Vice President of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a graduate of Edward Waters College and holds master’s degrees from Clark Atlanta University and Harvard University and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University. Hervey has a background in higher education, both as a professor and as an https://dropoutprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/C.W.-Gardenhire-pic.jpgistrator. He also founded a nonprofit organization, Project REACH (Revitalizing Educational Awareness for Change), to work with ninth graders in the Mississippi Delta to ensure that they did not drop out of high school and to increase their awareness about college and provide assistance with access. Hervey believes that his practitioner background brings the community organizer, grassroots perspective to the Board, which benefits from its members’ diverse backgrounds.
Hervey said in a recent interview: “Stories have faces—real people. A lot of the time we talk about statistics, but there is the human element that needs to be represented and I can help do that. My own personal experiences, from high school days as an honor student with no direction to now as a professional who understands the lack of information about college access, help me provide that human element.” Hervey has served on the Board of Directors of the NDPN since 2003.
McNulty, the new Vice Chair, is the Chief Learning Officer at Penn Foster, a leader in online education based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His efforts include working with Penn Foster High School, an alternative to traditional high school education. Before joining Penn Foster, McNulty served as Commissioner of Education in Vermont, President of the International Center for Leadership in Education, and Senior Fellow with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has held positions in education since 1973 as a teacher, superintendent, and principal and vice principal; is the author of It’s Not Us Against Them – Creating the Schools We Need (2009); has worked with leading educators around the nation to reinvent America’s high schools; and regularly speaks across the country about the importance of providing education that fits each student’s needs. He was a keynote speaker at the Center’s 25th Annual National At-Risk Youth National FORUM.
“The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network’s mission aligns closely with Penn Foster’s,” McNulty said. “We are both committed to providing students with the resources they need to complete their education and go on to live successful lives. I look forward to continuing to work with the organization as we strive to end America’s high school dropout crisis.” McNulty has served on the Board of Directors of the NDPN since 2012.
Collins, the new Recording Secretary, is Chief Academic Officer for Mango Learning and President of CareerTechEducation Associates in Jersey City, New Jersey. Collins brings 40 plus years of experience as a public school teacher and https://dropoutprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/C.W.-Gardenhire-pic.jpgistrator, including experience in the development of curriculum and instructional and assessment programs. He began his educational career at Locke High School in South Central Los Angeles as a classroom teacher and retired from the public sector in 2010 as Superintendent of the Grossmont Union High School District. Between those times, he served in a variety of positions in the Los Angeles Unified School District, including Principal; Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment; Regional Superintendent; and Chief Instructional Officer. Collins is a graduate of UCLA with a master’s from Loyola Marymount University.
In a recent interview, Collins said, “I view my role on the NDPC/N as first providing expertise regarding schools, students, and the dropout issue. But even more, I want to be able to challenge all of us to look beyond the strategies and programs of the past. I sincerely believe that if we are going to address the issue of dropouts in our nation, we are looking at fundamental change as to how we teach students, how we engage them in postsecondary opportunities, and how we provide for economic opportunities. I hope to be a catalyst with our Board for this type of thinking that addresses a culture shift, and not just trying to do better what has not worked well in the past.” Collins has served on the Board of Directors of the NDPN since 2010.
“Eurmon, Ray, and Bob are three incredible Board members who bring an amazing and diverse depth of experience to our organization,” said NDPC/N Executive Director, Dr. Beth P. Reynolds. “Each of them is genuinely passionate about the dropout issue and so readily gives of his time and expertise to advance our work. The Dropout Prevention Center and Network has been blessed with exceptionally strong leaders as Board members and I look forward to working with Eurmon, Ray, and Bob in their new roles as Board officers.”
The election of new officers to the Board comes at the same time that new leadership for the Center and Network is being established. Dr. Beth P. Reynolds joined the Center and Network on June 18, 2012, as its new Executive Director, taking over at the helm of the more than 25-year-old institution previously directed for most of that time by Dr. Jay Smink, a well-established national leader in dropout prevention. Dr. Reynolds will be joined in May 2013 by a new Associate Director, Dr. Howard (Sandy) Addis. Two Assistant Directors, Mr. John Gailer and Ms. Cairen Withington, have also been named.
National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson names 11 Fellows
CLEMSON — Eleven higher education leaders and faculty have been named the inaugural Fellows of the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University. The Fellows will help the center and the National Dropout Prevention Network in their missions to increase high school graduation rates through research and evidence-based solutions.
The NDPC Fellows will focus on collaborative research and include faculty from Clemson University’s College of Health, Education and Human Development (HEHD):
- Lee Crandall, professor and chairman of public health sciences;
- Jennie Farmer, assistant professor of special education;
- Kathy Headley, associate dean for research and graduate studies in HEHD;
- Jane Clark Lindle, Eugene T. Moore Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership;
- Suzanne Rosenblith, professor and chairwoman of the teacher education department; and
- Dolores Stegelin, professor of early childhood education.
Joining them are higher education leaders:
- Shanan Chappell, research assistant professor, The Center for Educational Partnerships, Darden College of Education, Old Dominion University;
- Colleen Dawicki, director of the Urban Initiative at UMass-Dartmouth;
- Patrick O’Connor, associate professor in the College of Teaching Learning and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University;
- Terry Pickeral, president of Cascade Educational Consultants, Bellingham, Wash.; and
- Robert Shumer, research associate at the University of Minnesota.
“These Fellows will broaden the impact of the center and network through efforts such as collaborative research projects, public speaking including keynotes and serving on panels, and the development of practical resources for the field,” said Sam Drew, interim executive director of the National Dropout Prevention Center.
“Indeed, their initial plans include providing a regular meta-analysis of the latest research on dropout risk factors and effective programs, building on the NDPC’s 2007 report ‘Dropout Risk Factors and Exemplary Programs’ and an annual report that will highlight the latest in effective strategies,” he said.
The Fellows program will expand in the next 12 months to include a National Dropout Prevention Network Practitioner Fellows program. Practitioner Fellows will provide the practical outreach through the network, based on the NDPC Fellow’s research findings and their own work in dropout-prevention efforts at the local level.
“Speaking for the network board, we are enthusiastic about this new direction for both the center and the network,” said Stuart Udell, CEO of Catapult Learning Inc. and chairman of the National Dropout Prevention Network board. “We believe that the strength of these concerted efforts in dropout prevention will provide greater use of the center’s outstanding resources and a more widespread dissemination through this growing network.”
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Dropping out of school is a process, not an event, study says
CLEMSON, S.C. – It takes more than a day to drop out of school. It also takes more than a day to prevent it.
A new study of the best research on dropout prevention shows that a single event rarely causes a child to drop out of school. Dropping out almost always is the result of a long process of disengagement that sometimes begins before the child enrolls in kindergarten.
Just as the reasons can be multiple, so are the solutions, according to a new study sponsored by Communities In Schools Inc. (CIS) and conducted with the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) at Clemson University.
The study, Dropout Risk Factors and Exemplary Programs, finds that dropping out of school is related to a variety of factors in four domains: individual, family, school and community. The study focused on individual and family factors.
“There is no single risk factor that can accurately predict if a student will drop out, but there are 25 significant risk factors in the individual and family domains,” said Jay Smink, executive director of the NDPC. “The more risk factors that become evident for a student, the greater the likelihood that student will eventually drop out of school.”
Many of the risk factors start in elementary school, some before. That is an important finding, according to contributing author Dan Linton, director of research and evaluation for CIS. Approximately half of the 3,000-plus sites where CIS operates are elementary schools.
“Children of low socioeconomic status are particularly at risk, and if you add low achievement, poor attendance and being too old for the grade, the risk increases dramatically and the student will not likely graduate,” Smink said. “You can take those four factors to the bank.”
Some of the risk factors don’t sound so obvious. Students who work a lot of hours, have a large number of siblings or too many interests outside of school are at increased risk, according to the study. So are students whose families don’t talk much about school. The good news, according to Linton, is that there are effective programs for battling America’s dropout challenge.
“CIS connects students to programs and services to help them successfully stay in school, learn and prepare for life. A key goal of the study was to identify programs found to be highly effective in addressing the risk factors. This initial research identified 50 programs that CIS affiliates may incorporate into their offerings,” Linton said.
Many of the programs reflect 15 successful strategies identified by the NDPC in previous research.
The list of programs is posted with the entire Dropout Risk Factors and Exemplary Programs report at both the NDPC and CIS Web sites.
The study was completed by Cathy Hammond, research associate for the NDPC/Network, with contributions from Smink and Sam Drew of NPDC/Network and Linton of CIS.
The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, established at Clemson University in 1986, is a national resource for sharing solutions for student success through its clearinghouse function, active research projects, publications and professional development activities.
Communities In Schools is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, working in more than 3,200 K-12 public schools. Founded in 1977, CIS is headquartered in Alexandria, Va. Nearly 1 million young people every year receive direct services through more than 200 CIS local affiliates in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Between 80 and 90 percent of the tracked students show improvement in academic achievement, attendance, behavior and promotion to the next grade level.
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