Turning Research into Higher Graduation Rates
Every student deserves a clear path to high school graduation. Since 1986, the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) has partnered with school districts, state agencies, and community leaders across the country to keep students in school, re-engage those at risk, and raise graduation rates.
We don’t hand schools generic advice or one-off checklists. We deliver field-tested frameworks, practical professional learning, and data-driven systems that change student outcomes for good.
What We Do
We focus on the root causes of student disengagement—from chronic absenteeism and trauma to disconnected school cultures:
District Assessments & Action Planning:
Tailored, on-site and virtual partnerships—including Diploma Planning Institutes, attendance audits, and program reviews—that turn local data into targeted graduation strategies.
Trauma-Skilled & Engagement Frameworks:
Practical models that move schools from "trauma-informed" to "trauma-skilled," alongside systems-level strategies that stabilize daily attendance and keep struggling students connected.
Professional Learning & Certifications:
Hands-on workshops, national conferences, and professional credentials—including the National Dropout Prevention Specialist and Trauma-Skilled Specialist designations—that build lasting internal capacity.
How We Work:
Effective Strategies for Graduation Improvement
Share Collective Responsibility for All Students:
Graduation isn’t left to chance or assigned to a single role. We help districts cultivate an intentional leadership culture, deliver continuous, student-centered professional learning, and use cross-functional data (attendance, behavior, and coursework) to uncover root causes.
Build Supportive Networks for All Students:
Strong relationships keep students anchored to school. We assist schools in establishing authentic, two-way family partnerships and investing in programs—such as mentoring, service-learning, and community collaboration—that foster belonging and personal resilience.
Enhance Instructional Engagement:
Instruction directly shapes whether a student stays invested or checks out. We equip educators with rigorous, relevant teaching strategies, personalized learning opportunities, and purposeful technology solutions that connect classroom work to real-world context.
Offer High-Impact Learning Pathways:
Students persist when they see where their education leads. We support districts in expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, credentialing opportunities, industry partnerships, and quality alternative learning pathways tailored for students needing a flexible route to a diploma.
Our Roots & Growth
Founded in 1986 at Clemson University, the National Dropout Prevention Center was established as a national clearinghouse to examine why students disconnect from school and provide practitioners with field-tested solutions. Over the past four decades, NDPC has evolved into an independent authority, evaluating hundreds of programs and equipping tens of thousands of educators with actionable graduation strategies. Today, as a division of the Successful Practices Network (SPN), NDPC unites deep dropout prevention research with modern school improvement, student resilience models, and career-aligned pathways to support districts nationwide.
Ready to strengthen graduation outcomes in your district?
Let’s look at your data, identify the barriers your students face, and build a sustainable plan together.
Mailing Address
20 Prospect Street, Suite 312
Ballston Spa, New York 12020
Email Us
Call Us
(518) 723-2063