National Dropout Prevention Specialist Certification Program

National Dropout
Prevention Specialist
Certification Program

The National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) is pleased to offer the National Dropout Prevention Specialist (NDPS) certification program for educators and at-risk youth workers. The certification verifies knowledge and expertise in at-risk youth issues and strategies for raising graduation rates. The NDPS certification program is founded on NDPC’s research-based effective strategies, known youth risk factors, professional learning participation, and field implementation of acquired knowledge.

Program Eligibility

NDPS participants must either:

Be employed or actively engaged in the field of education and/or;
Work in the area of at-risk youth services or in a similar setting.

Application and Program Requirement

NDPS participants must:

Complete and submit the NDPS application electronically.
- The application and processing fee is $450. This fee is refundable in the event of non-acceptance to the program.
- If planning on attending the national conference to receive professional learning requirements, we offer a discounted application fee of $375, and you can apply by Register here

Complete the program’s professional learning requirements.
Complete and submit a field project report, head shot and bio.

Completing Professional Learning Requirements

Participants must meet the professional learning requirement of addressing the different research-based effective strategies. This can be met through either:

Attendance at NDPC’s Annual National Conference:

The NDPS professional learning requirement can be met by attending the annual NDPC conference held every October and may self-select from identified event sessions offered that are sufficient to address 10 or more different research-based effective strategies.
A QR code is provided at the end of each session that participants must scan and submit after each session to receive transcript credits.

Completing 12 credits of NDPC online professional development courses:

NDPC online professional development courses
Online Courses: $99 per course (1 credit per course) except for the Overview Course which is $149 (2 credits)
Each course addresses one of the effective strategies needed to meet the program’s professional learning requirement.

A certificate of completion is available to the participant after all activities in each course are completed. Certificates must be emailed to certification@dropoutprevention.org to verify completion.

Professional learning costs such as event registration, travel, and online professional development courses are the responsibility of the program participant.

Completing and Submitting the Field Project Report

Submit and share a field project

Certification Benefits

NDPS certificate holders will:

10% discount for registration fee to NDPC’s Annual National Conference (once certified)
Quarterly Zoom networking sessions facilitated by NDPC specialists
Be recognized on NDPC’s website, www.dropoutprevention.org, the nation’s leading resource for dropout prevention information, as having completed the NDPS certification program.

Share dropout prevention expertise and achievements through NDPC’s posting of field project reports.
To learn more about the field project requirement, check out this video presentation and accompanying PowerPoint.

Additional Information

Questions about the program? Contact us at certification@dropoutprevention.org.

Additional Information:

Questions about the program? Contact us at certification@dropoutprevention.org.
The NDPS professional learning requirement can be met by attending the annual NDPC conference held every October and may self-select from identified event sessions offered that are sufficient to address 10 or more different research-based effective strategies.
Professional learning costs such as event registration, travel, and online professional development courses are the responsibility of the participant.
The NDPS field project requirement is met by submission of a Field Project Report, which will be shared worldwide with other practitioners via the NDPC website.
Upon program admission, participants will receive detailed instructions for professional learning participation, field project completion, and program completion.

Certification is valid for three years and may be renewed by attending 4 additional NDPC conference sessions, completing 4 NDPC online courses, or a combination of both that totals 4 for certification renewal.

To learn more about the field project requirement, check out this video presentation and accompanying PowerPoint.

Upon completion of the Field Project, NDPS Certification Program participants should submit the Field Project Report to certification@dropoutprevention.org. Receipt of your submission will be acknowledged and your Field Project Report will be sent to the NDPS Field Project Editor for review and further communication regarding the report if needed.

Certified Dropout Prevention Specialists

Certified Dropout Prevention Specialists complete a professional learning program founded in the Center’s Effective Dropout Prevention Strategies, document their experience by completion of a job-embedded field project, and serve as a national resource for others who work with at-risk youth.

Meet the Certified Dropout Prevention Specialists, and access their Field Project Reports.