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.
National Dropout Prevention Specialist Brochure
NDPS participants must either:
NDPS participants must:
Participants must meet the professional learning requirement of addressing 12 or more of the different research-based effective strategies. This can be met through both:
Professional learning costs such as event registration, travel, and online professional development courses are the responsibility of the program participant.
NDPS certificate holders will:
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.
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.
NDPS Field Project Presentation, presented by Holly Mauney, February 2017,
NDPS certification is issued by the National Dropout Prevention Center for a three-year validity period and is renewable by participation in four or more professional learning sessions per calendar year and maintenance of NDPC membership during the certification period. This may be obtained through conference and event attendance. Please contact NDPC with questions about maintaining certification.
Questions about the program? Contact us at certification@DropoutPrevention.org
Certified Dropout Prevention Specialists complete a professional learning program founded in the Center’s 15 Effective Dropout Prevention Strategies, document their experience by completion of a job-embedded field project, and server as a national resource for others who work with at-risk youth.
Meet the Certified Dropout Prevention Specialists, and access their Field Project Reports.
National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Unites Efforts in Combatting Dropout | July 2016
National Dropout Prevention Network Recognizes Nine Graduates of Its National Dropout Prevention Specialist Certification Program | February 2016
National Dropout Prevention Network Celebrates First Graduates of Its National Dropout Prevention Specialist Certification Program | December 2015