Initiatives.

This book describes the fifteen strategies identified through research reviewed by The National Dropout Prevention Center and Network at Clemson University. Each chapter in this book was written by a nationally recognized authority in that field. Research has shown that these 15 strategies have been successfully implemented in all school levels from K - 12 in rural, suburban, and urban centers; as stand-alone programs or as part of systemic school improvement plans. Helping Students Graduate: A Strategic Approach to Dropout Prevention also covers No Child Left Behind and its effects on dropout rates; Dealing with Hispanic dropouts; Differences and similarities between rural and urban dropouts. These fifteen strategies have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Education. They are applicable to all students, including students with disabilities.

Parents Left Behind is an in-depth analysis of the policy implementation process for Section 1118 of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation. Section 1118 was designed to increase parental involvement in local schools. Four years after being signed into law, the question of how Section 1118 is understood and is being implemented by selected stakeholders, from the local, state, and federal levels were not answered in the available literature. This multi-level case study began the examination effort by describing how parental involvement programs were being implemented according to federal mandates in NCLB and how policy decisions to implement this law were made and interpreted by public actors at each governmental level to the street level context of the New Orleans Public School District. Findings from this study suggest that resources for implementation, were, at best, inadequate; communications and translations of the policy have been slow; and, parents and teachers have been left behind, not having been significantly involved in or informed about the policy. The study provides insights and recommendations for federal policymakers, State Education Authorities (SEA), and Local Education Authorities (LEA) to improve implementation and monitoring in future iterations of the law. Awards and recognition: Webster selected as 2010 Characters Unite award recipient

GAO-01-66 At-Risk Youth: School-Community Collaborations Focus on Improving Student Outcomes