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The NDPC partners with school districts, community-based organizations, and national organizations that serve youth from across the country. In that capacity, NDPC performs research and evaluation, and helps with implementing a variety of administrative and instructional practices to reduce the incidence of school dropout and increase students’ success in school. We also work closely with colleges and universities and collaborate with many businesses and corporations to develop and implement projects for youth.
Based on our research experience, a thorough understanding of the literature, and almost three decades of monitoring hundreds of successful school improvement and dropout prevention initiatives and programs, the NDPC has identified 15 effective strategies that have proven successful in keeping young people in school, engaging them in their education, and giving them enhanced opportunities for securing places in the workforce or progressing into postsecondary education. Many states base their dropout prevention initiatives on the 15 effective strategies identified by NDPC. Since its beginning in 1986, NDPC has become the nation’s premier source of information on programs and strategies related to dropout prevention, intervention, reentry, and recovery. Our expertise; our network of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners; along with our name and reputation all make us a strong partner and a leading organization for securing grants and contracts to address the nation’s school dropout crisis.
The National Dropout Prevention Center offers a variety of cost-effective project components and supports that can be written into grants to strengthen your proposal, increase the likelihood of project success, and achieve long-term sustainability beyond grant funding.
NDPC offers online courses in each of the 15 research-based Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention. The 15 Effective Strategies are formally adopted by numerous states and school systems as highest-impact interventions for graduation rate improvement. Each online course takes participants through an exploration of what the strategy is, how it fits within the 15 Effective Strategies model, and the research supporting it, allowing participants to envision for themselves how the strategy can be implemented well within their own schools and communities. Participants investigate successful implementations across the country, potential benefits and barriers to implementing the strategy, and key implementation characteristics to consider in setting up their own programs. Each self-paced course takes from 60 to 120 minutes to complete, except the overview course, which takes about 6 hours to complete. Online courses may be used in grant programs to prepare staff for the most effective implementation of grant-funded initiatives. For more information, contact Todd Daggett, at tdaggett@spnetwork.org.
Dropout prevention starts before students arrive to school. Learn how you and your community can be proactive in decreasing your dropout rate years in advance.
Continuous high quality professional development around research-based strategies can increase student engagement and staff competencies. Find out how your school and district can mirror ESSA-supported professional development focused on student success in schools.
Early literacy makes a difference in dropout rates. Learn the importance of early literacy and how community and school organizations can work together to help students develop early literacy skills at home and at school.
An “all systems on board” approach provides alignment and change required for a school and community to work together in making sure all students graduate. Learn about how this has happened in many communities and their remarkable results in graduation rates.
Personalized learning strategies are often the solution to a disengaged student’s barrier to successful high school completion. Learn how you can individualize instruction for personalized learning to recapture disengaged students and increase your graduation rate.
Service-learning is a highly engaging form of learning that is somewhat directed by the student. Learn more about how service-learning can help your potentially disengaged students involve themselves in something that truly matters to others through service.
Family support is one of the top influencers of students who do graduate, but family engagement can be difficult to attain at times. Learn about some creative ways schools and districts reach out to their parents to form a unified bond for their students.
The school-community alliance can make a powerful impact on a graduation rate and the livelihood of the community as a whole. Find out how these alliances can be grown and the impact the resulting increased rates have made in other communities.
Learning something new involves risk. Students are most invested in learning in environments that are physically, emotionally, and academically safe. Learn how you can create and sustain a safe learning environment in which your students thrive.
Well implemented mentoring and tutoring programs help many students get back or stay on track for graduation. Find out how you can implement a high quality program for struggling students who might otherwise derail to dropout status.
Different students have a variety of unique needs. One of the most important alternatives to graduating from a traditional high school is graduating from an alternative school. Learn more about how high quality alternative school programs keep students in school and some of the characteristics of these programs that make the difference.
After-school and out-of-school opportunities, camps, and clubs provide students with extended time for academics, hobbies, interests, and relationship building in safe locations. Examine the research and learn how these high quality programs can impact graduation rates.
Educational Technology as a tool in providing relevant and engaging student instruction can build a captive audience and keep students in school. Also as a tool to prepare students for college and career, educational technology can be used to support deeper thinking, more complex reasoning, and student buy-in to education. Learn more about how educational technology can be utilized as an engagement tool and more in the classroom.
Career and technical education provides students with relevance and excitement in entering adulthood, grounding them in skills they need to become productive and skilled citizens. Implemented well, career and technical education programs can provide students with a vision for the future, and give them reasons to stay in school. Learn more about how successful career and technical education programs keep students in school.
This course provides an overview to the 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention, information and examples to aid in understanding how the strategies work in relation to one another when implemented, and tools to support and engage educators to address the needs of every student and to help increase graduation rates. This course is longer than the other online courses and can be completed in about 6 hours.
NDPC offers a wide range of national, regional, and special topic conferences addressing all facets of the dropout prevention issue. NDPC conferences provide current information to teachers, counselors, social workers, administrators, school board members, and agency personnel. At NDPC conferences, practitioners network with, learn from, and are motivated by national expert speakers and hundreds of special content presentations. For more information, contact Denise Gianfocaro at denise@dropoutprevention.org.
NDPC offers a nationally recognized credential for practitioners who demonstrate expertise and are trained, current, and professionally networked in the area of dropout prevention. The National Dropout Prevention Specialist (NDPS) Certification Program provides field practitioners with research-based professional development, field project experience, and professional contacts toward attainment of national certification. The field accomplishments and contact information of NDPS Certificate holders are shared nationally as a resource for others working in dropout prevention. As part of a grant, National Dropout Prevention Specialist Certification can build a local team of experts to sustain grant initiatives past grant funding. To learn more, contact certification@dropoutprevention.org.
NDPC offers individual, group of 5 or more, student, and retiree membership to the National Dropout Prevention Center. Center members receive a wide range of publications, newsletters, research reports, event updates, and discounts on NDPC fees and services. Center membership places practitioners in direct contact with both NDPC personnel and practitioners across the nation and maintains staff focus on the importance of improved graduation rates. Center Membership, as a grant component, builds local capacity to guide and sustain grant-funded initiatives. For more information contact Denise Gianforcaro at denise@dropoutprevention.org.