Marc W Barlow

Dropout Prevention Marc W Barlow

Effectively tracking high school dropouts poses a problem for schools, districts, and states because many at-risk students are transient; it is hard to keep track of these students as they move from school to school, program to program, and even state to state. However, no matter what the precise number is, the high school dropout rate in America is simply too high. Numerous studies bring to life the negative consequences of dropping out of school for both the individual and society as a whole. Dropout Prevention: A Program That Works will not detail such consequences; rather, it will provide a roadmap for schools and districts that want to and must implement an effective dropout prevention program in order to best serve students. The following analogy stresses the importance of implementing an effective dropout prevention program immediately: When an obese person has a heart attack and is taken to the emergency room, the hospital first sends in the doctor to sustain the patient and try to save his life. The hospital does not first call in a nutritionist to discuss the patient's poor diet and lack of exercise. Currently, there are thousands of high school students dying on the ER table listening to a nutritionist. Too often educators say, "I need to see the research supporting that program" before they are willing to implement. But how much research is necessary? Is it enough to see an effective program at another school? Or do you need to have multiple longitudinal studies documenting the results before you are willing to act? How many more students will drop out of your school before you finally declare, "We have to do something"? Research is vital; however, research is not implementation. Many at-risk students simply cannot wait for the research to be conducted and the data compiled: they are on the ER table and need an alternative solution today. Dropout Prevention: A Program That Works provides such a solution.