Comprehensive Practice Guides for K-12 Professionals
Guiding Principles for Improving School Attendance
Moving beyond surface-level solutions, this guide presents 15 research-based principles that address the root causes of chronic absenteeism rather than just symptoms. K-12 professionals will learn why barrier-removal strategies alone often fail and discover how relationships, culture, and community engagement drive sustainable attendance improvement. The guide includes an Attendance Improvement Self-Assessment Instrument to help schools move from random acts to strategic initiatives. Download this essential resource to understand what truly drives attendance and how to implement high-impact, locally-appropriate solutions.
Improving Student Engagement
Learn why nearly one-fourth of students report feeling disengaged from school and discover evidence-based strategies to reverse this trend. This comprehensive guide breaks down engagement into three actionable domains—people, activities, and instruction—with specific assessment tools and implementation frameworks. K-12 professionals will gain practical methods to increase student motivation, improve attendance, and create learning environments where all students thrive. The guide includes both schoolwide and individual student assessment instruments to target engagement challenges effectively.
Building Resilience for Higher-Level Learning and Higher Graduation Rates
This guide introduces the SPN Five Domains of Resilience Model™ and provides a proven 10-step process for building resilience schoolwide. K-12 professionals will discover how developing student resilience directly impacts academic achievement, attendance, behavior, and graduation rates. The guide includes practical tools like the Student Resilience Inventory™ and concrete strategies for each resilience domain. Download this guide to learn how systematic resilience-building can transform your most at-risk students into successful graduates.
Improving Attendance by Reducing Suspensions
Discover how suspension practices may be inadvertently contributing to your school’s chronic absenteeism rates and learn research-based alternatives that work. This guide provides a systematic approach to analyzing suspension data, examining policies and beliefs, and implementing effective alternatives like restorative justice and PBIS. K-12 leaders will find a ready-to-use self-assessment instrument and practical strategies to reduce suspensions while maintaining safe, productive learning environments. Download this guide to improve both attendance and school climate simultaneously.
Rural High School Graduation Coach Implementation
This targeted guide addresses the unique challenges of implementing graduation coach programs in rural settings, where geographic isolation, limited resources, and small populations create specific obstacles. K-12 professionals will learn how to select the right personnel, structure effective programs, and leverage community partnerships to support at-risk students. The guide includes practical templates for program development, evaluation, and budgeting that account for rural realities. Essential reading for rural educators seeking to improve graduation rates through personalized student support.
Effective Strategies for Alternative School Improvement©
Transform your alternative school from a last-resort placement into an effective pathway to graduation using this comprehensive framework. The guide presents five improvement domains and 32 focus areas with guiding questions to assess and enhance alternative education programs. K-12 leaders will discover why some alternative schools achieve 75% graduation rates while others struggle, and learn how to implement the strategies that make the difference. This research-based practice guide draws on NDPC’s 35+ years of experience improving alternative education outcomes nationwide.
