High School Dropout, Graduation, and Completion Rates Better Data, Better Measures, Better Decisions (2011) / Chapter Skim
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7 Using Comprehensive Data Systems to Improve Public Policy and Practice
7 Using Comprehensive Data Systems to Improve Public Policy and Practice
Pages 95-108
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From page 95... ...
Throughout the chapter, we provide examples of the ways in which such data have been used to promote effective practices. The chapter draws primarily from two workshop presentations, one by Robert Balfanz, with Johns Hopkins University, on how indicators of student performance in middle school can be used to build an early warning system that can 95
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From page 96... ...
As noted in Chapter 2, it is well documented that students who drop out have lower earnings, higher rates of unemployment, higher rates of crime and incarceration, higher rates of public assistance, and poorer health than high school graduates, but this information is known primarily through national survey data collected by federal agencies, such as the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Comprehensive data systems can help track dropouts after they leave high school and transition into further education and training, the labor market, and adult life and provide this information for students in a given state or school district.
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From page 97... ...
. Documenting what happens to dropouts after they leave school can help state and local policy makers understand the importance of enacting effective dropout prevention programs, particularly when the data reflect outcomes for local students.1 Research has also shown that dropping out is often a temporary status.
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From page 98... ...
Evaluating the Impact of Policies and Programs to Reduce Dropout Rates The final issue that comprehensive data can help address is the impact of policies and programs designed to reduce dropout rates and improve graduation rates. Research in this area is urgently needed, particularly experimental research that uses a design that allows one to make causal inferences about the effectiveness of a particular policy or program.2 Despite the long-standing interest in the problem of school dropouts, there is relatively little rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of intervention programs.
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From page 99... ...
Census Bureau (which collects data through the decennial census, the monthly Current Population Survey, and the annual American Community Survey) , the Bureau of Labor Statistics (which collects data through the National Longitudinal Surveys)
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From page 100... ...
Using this data set, the researchers were also able to identify alterable school and student factors predictive of graduation. Specifically, students in a college preparatory or vocational program were twice as likely to graduate compared with students in general programs, although schools that had an overemphasis on vocational programs tended to have lower graduation rates.
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From page 101... ...
; · as not graduated from high school or completed a state- or district h approved education program (including special education and GED preparation) ; and · does not meet any of the following exclusionary conditions: - transferred to another public school district, private school, or state- or district-approved education program; - temporary absence due to suspension or school-approved education program; - death.8 Similarly, the Department of Education has issued regulations for reporting graduation rates in order to comply with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
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From page 102... ...
State governments States perform some of the same roles as the federal government when it comes to addressing issues related to dropout and completion statistics. That is, states collect data from the local education agencies that are used to calculate dropout and completion rates, they issue guidance to them with regard to how the data are coded and reported, and they provide support for dropout prevention programs.
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From page 103... ...
Rumberger also described how a more robust state education data system could be used to initiate and evaluate intervention efforts aimed at improving dropout and graduation rates. Such systems could be used to measure the existing readiness, will, and capacity of schools and districts to better target improvement strategies, determine the amount and kinds of support needed to implement the strategies, and build capacity to sustain them.
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From page 104... ...
The local school system is where intervention efforts happen, and education data systems can provide valuable information to improve programs and practices. In a study of district-wide school improvement in Duval County, Florida, Supovitz developed a model for a district-wide data system that serves three functions (Supovitz, 2006, Chapter 5)
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From page 105... ...
Support and efforts will also have to be provided to enable teachers and administrators to take a more proactive role in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. Finally, states and local school districts should take the lead in integrating information from agencies that work with youth outside the school system, in particular, agencies that oversee juvenile justice, foster care, and child protection (abuse and neglect)
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From page 106... ...
Currently, support is provided through the Statewide Longitudinal Data System Grant Program established by Title II of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 and through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We applaud the federal government's efforts along these lines and therefore recommend: RECOMMENDATION 7-1: The federal government should continue to support the development of comprehensive state education data systems that are comparable, are interoperable, and facilitate exchange of infor mation across state boundaries to more accurately track enrollment and completion status.
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From page 107... ...
RECOMMENDATION 7-3: State governments should support reform ef forts to demonstrate how districts can develop and effectively use more comprehensive education data systems to improve dropout and graduation rates, along with improved student achievement. Finally, we think the federal government should play an active role in this area by collecting data on the precursors of dropping out.
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