March 13-15, 2005
Phoenix, Arizona
Co-hosted by The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, the Center for the Future of Arizona, and the Arizona Department of Education, the 2005 Effective Strategies Institute Southwest regional conference provided a unique opportunity for educators, administrators, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to come together to explore issues and concerns in dropout prevention and to share the programs and approaches that are making a difference with students in their own communities and schools.
With welcoming remarks from Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and a keynote address from Dr. Lattie Coor of the Center for the Future of Arizona, the conference opened with a focus on the importance of high school completion and the need to keep dropout and graduation issues at the top of the national agenda. Through several sessions of seminars and workshops, presenters discussed the problem of dropouts at every stage of the issue – from concerns about defining the problem and using data to evaluate effective practices to a focus on specific risk factors within various populations to the use and development of alternative schools to assist students who are at-risk or who have already dropped out and wish to return to school. In addition to the standard conference seminars and presentations, conference attendees had the opportunity to learn about specific effective strategies in a carousel session and to attend a session designed to allow researchers and practitioners to network and come together to evaluate new programs within the community. Finally, conference attendees enjoyed an energetic keynote address by Dr. Carol Peck of the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona who focused on the nationwide achievement gap and presented ten strategies aimed at helping both students and schools succeed, and a closing keynote address by Ms. Theresa Price of Mesa Public Schools who emphasized the need to recognize the cultural heritage of students, specifically Native American students, when reaching out to students and helping them to achieve their educational goals.
Following is a brief summary of a sampling of conference presentations.
Data and Definition. Specifically addressing the problem of dropouts in Arizona, Dr. John Constantine discussed a systems variation approach to analyzing data collected within the educational system and specific issues with regard to identification, classification and tracking different segments of the student population. Dr. Greg Hickman (Center for the Future of Arizona) approached the problem of dropouts by emphasizing that at a national level, high school completion is everybody’s problem, not just a concern of specific ethnic subgroups or specific states or regions within the country. Dr. Sam Drew (National Dropout Prevention Center) presented a national overview of the dropout issue with a focus on root causes and the effects of dropping out on students, families, communities and the economy, then presented some effective strategies that have had a positive impact on increasing graduation rates. A more specific focus on effective strategies to prevent truancy, one of the important precursors to dropping out, was presented by Dr. Terry Cash (National Dropout Prevention Center). Using both national and local data, Dr. Cash emphasized the need to address the issue of truancy through systemic interventions at the district level.
Risk Factors. At the school level, Dr. David Garcia (Arizona State University) presented research identifying school characteristics that are correlated with and predictive of high school dropout rates. With these school-level concerns in mind, he identified several schools that have used best practices to achieve low dropout rates given the population of students served. At the student level, several presenters explored factors and issues that may place certain students at greater risk of dropping out. While Dr. Anne Lessard (University of Sherbrooke, Canada) explored how risk factors differed between male and female students, Dr. Juliann McCarthy (Polaris High School, Phoenix) presented an examination of the factors that are more predictive of Hispanic students dropping out of school as compared to White students. Finally, Dr. Ursula Casanova (Arizona State University) presented a case study of a school in southern Arizona which illustrated that a student demography predictive of high dropout rates can be overcome. She examined the typical factors that might predict a high dropout rate and then illustrated how Cibola High School in Yuma, AZ has been able to beat the odds and graduate a relatively high number of students each year and even to lead many students into post-secondary educational opportunities.
Alternative Schools. Although many researchers and practitioners are concerned about keeping students in traditional school environments, the reality of the 21 st century is that the typical high school is not necessarily the place most conducive to learning for all types of students. With this fact in mind, several conference seminars focused on the development of alternative schools. Dr. Randy Heinrich (Round Valley Schools/University of Phoenix) explored an alternative school case study to illustrate the contributions of an expanded alternative school typology and specific effective practices for meeting the needs of at-risk students. Presenting successful alternative schools outside of the region, Dr. Rayma Macy (Oklahoma Technical Assistance Center) presented highlights from the annual evaluation of Oklahoma’s nationally recognized model of alternative education programs, while Mr. Sandy Denham (Academic Success Center) presented an examination of the accomplishments of the Academic Success Center in Columbus, Georgia by outlining development strategies for effective alternative schooling, implementation techniques and methods for program evaluation.
Arizona-Specific. Because the regional conference was based in Phoenix, the state of Arizona received a special focus in several conference presentations. Using a business model to compare schools, Dr. Mary Jo Waits (Center for the Future of Arizona) explored the steps taken by successful Arizona schools with a majority Latino student population to overcome the predictions of their demography to successfully graduate students of all ethnic backgrounds. From the Tucson Unified School District, Ms. Doris Williams and her team of researchers presented a series of district-wide and school-based practices in prevention, intervention and recovery that have been useful in ensuring student success in the southern part of the state. With an eye on the broader statewide impact of the AIMS exam, Dr. Cynthia McCahon (Mesa Public Schools) explored the impact of the implementation of the AIMS exam as a requirement for graduation and the prediction of students being pushed out of school as a result of failing to pass the AIMS test. Dr. McCahon emphasized the need to identify students who are at risk of being pushed out of school and to develop and provide interventions as needed to help those students reach their educational goals.
Prevention Programs. Finally, several conference presenters examined the effects of a variety of programs designed to prevent dropouts or to assist dropouts in returning to school. The Community Youth Development Program from Southwest Behavioral Health Services presented the need to link students, parents, school districts and the community to the behavioral health, public health and welfare and juvenile justice systems in order to develop effective school-based prevention programs. The presentation of Achieving a College Education (ACE) illustrated a successful collaborative effort between high schools, community colleges, state universities, businesses and industry in allowing at risk students to experience college life and alternative career paths while still in high school, thus empowering students to actively pursue higher education and successfully complete high school along the way. Other prevention program presentations ranged from the use of music in the classroom from Dr. Cristal McGill (Impact Learning, Inc.) to the school-to-career transition programs offered through Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates (JAG) to the development of emotional coping and life skills offered by the WhyTry Organization. In all, these presentations suggested that there is no simple solution to address the needs of all dropouts, but a wide range of innovative and collaborative programs are showing important successes.
Overall, the 2005 Effective Strategies Institute Southwest regional conference was a success in bringing together individuals with diverse backgrounds and unique approaches aimed at improving the educational outcomes of our students. From educators and administrators to researchers, practitioners and business leaders, conference attendees engaged in active discussion and exploration of effective strategies and the use of best practices to address the problem of dropouts. Working together and learning from one another’s successes, we will continue to assist students in achieving their educational goals.
Below are links to selected presentations from the regional conference. For a complete listing of presentations, please see the conference program (PDF).
Dr. Carol Peck
Closing the Achievement Gap - PowerPoint | PDF
Dr. Greg Hickman
Everybody’s Problem: The Driving Forces Behind High School Completion Rates - PowerPoint | PDF
Dr. Sam Drew
Effective Strategies for Increasing Graduation Rates - PowerPoint | PDF
Dr. Terry Cash
Effective Strategies to Prevent Truancy and - PowerPoint | PDF
Dr. David Garcia
Understanding Correlates to School Dropout Rates and Identifying Potential Best Practice Schools - PowerPoint | PDF
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