5 Strengthen School Holding Power
from pre-kindergarten to college completion, ensuring that every student is valued, graduates from high school with a diploma, and is prepared for college, work and civic engagement.
Imagine > But Currently > What must be done > What we can do together
Imagine
Imagine schools…
- Where all students graduate with a diploma.
- Where there is articulation among all levels from preschool through graduate school to support students moving along the educational pipeline.
- Where no student is ever “lost” in the system.
- Where there is seamless support for students moving from one school level to another, regardless of state or location.
Imagine communities…
- Where expectations for each subsequent grade or level are clearly shared with parents and students in planning for success and school completion.
Imagine states…
- Where preparing students for college success and completion becomes a shared goal beginning in preschool.
- Where graduation from high school is not viewed as the end of education, but rather a vital stepping stone to college and graduate school completion.
But Currently…
Many children are “lost” and not accounted for, particularly minority and poor children. Across our nation, definitions of who is a “dropout” are neither clear nor consistent. This adds to the general confusion about which children have left school before completing school with a diploma. Schools do not report this information to parents and communities on a regular basis in ways that are timely and understandable. Schools vary in correctly reporting their attrition rates because it negatively impacts their funding. Schools fail to assess and address those “push out” factors in counseling and curriculum and environment that cause students to leave before graduating.
Additionally, systems are not in place that account for and support the success of each child from one grade to another. Transitions are not smooth from preschool to kindergarten, from early elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, or from high school to two-year colleges or universities. Furthermore, schools do not talk to one another about students transferring from one location or state to another. Systems fail to help students anticipate what is required for success at the next grade or level. For students considering college, information about required courses from middle school through graduation is often not provided to them or their parents in order to plan appropriately for college entry and completion.
What must be done…
A more consistent national definition of what constitutes a “school dropout” is needed. Schools need to be more transparent with communities about factors that cause students to leave school early before graduation.
There also needs to be a more seamless system for documenting student’s mobility, particularly for those who move across districts and states. Sustained support systems for transitions from grade to grade are needed to assist students in succeeding at each grade level.
Parents and communities need access to current information that is readily available and understandable regarding school holding power. And schools need the voices of parents and communities to ensure that their input is central to a school’s index of effectiveness. Schools and communities must work together to address systemic factors that lead to students dropping out of school.
What we can do together…
- Expect ongoing information from your local schools about what they are doing to support students staying in school and graduating.
- Continually monitor the progress of schools in holding students through a community-based school holding power index or similar instrument.
- Create ongoing dialogues between educators and communities to increase school holding power with actions from home and school.
- Involve student voices in seeking effective strategies for staying in school and support for relevance and graduation.
- Set up a taskforce of school and community leaders to focus on systemic issues to increase school holding power locally.