The Dropout Prevention Specialist Workbook prepares social workers and others in the helping professions training to serve as Dropout Prevention Specialists (DPSs) in a school and/or district. In sharing a wealth of suggestions to help readers accomplish success in this important role, it will address some of the challenges and roadblocks a DPS may encounter in becoming a catalyst for the school-wide improvement effort necessary to keep students in school.

This book will help you reduce the number of young adults who leave school without completing a high school program. These successfully proven strategies were identified through research conducted by The National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University. The strategies are: - EARLY INTERVENTIONS - Family Involvement... reach out to all families - Early Childhood Education... begin positive learning environments early - Reading and Writing Programs... establish this foundation to all learning THE BASIC CORE STRATEGIES - Mentoring/Tutoring... increase competency with a supportive adult or peer - Service Learning... implement academic learning connected to service - Alternative Schooling... provide options beyond the traditional setting - Out-of-School Enhancement... develop after-care, summer school, and extended hours MAKING THE MOST OF INSTRUCTION - Professional Development... provide resources & training for innovative, research-based techniques - Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences... implement proven methods for a diverse student population - Instructional Technologies... integrate technology into daily curriculum - Individualized Learning... provide customized work plans for each student MAKING THE MOST OF THE WIDER COMMUNITY - Systemic Renewal... change rules, roles, and relationships to effect school improvement - Community Collaboration... engage businesses and organizations - Career Education and Workforce Readiness... provide applied training and instruction for today's workplace - Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention... teach the strategies of fair engagement and safety

"Subject Areas/Keywords: academic achievement, adolescents, at-risk students, attendance, behavior problems, children, dropout prevention, early identification, early intervention, elementary, high school completion, interventions, middle school, MTSS, multi-tiered systems of support, response to intervention, retention, RTI, school reform, school success, secondary, student engagement, students Description: Meeting a crucial need, this book presents effective prevention and intervention methods that can help all students stay--and succeed--in school. The authors emphasize that dropout is a process, not an event. They provide tools for identifying dropout risk (including academic, behavior, and attendance problems) and strategies for problem-solving and data-based decision making at the elementary and secondary levels. Illustrative case examples and reproducible checklists and tools enhance this user-friendly resource. The print book has a large-size format with lay-flat binding to facilitate photocopying. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. "--

A Guide to Resilience: The Second-Greatest Principle in the World Christian Moore is convinced that each of us has a power hidden within, something that can get us through any kind of adversity. That power is resilience. In The Resilience Breakthrough, Moore delivers a practical primer on how you can become more resilient in a world of instability and narrowing opportunity, whether you’re facing financial troubles, health setbacks, challenges on the job, or any other problem. We can all have our own resilience breakthrough, Moore argues, and can each learn how to use adverse circumstances as potent fuel for overcoming life’s hardships. As he shares engaging real-life stories and brutally honest analysis of his own experiences, Moore equips you with twenty-seven resilience-building tools that you can start using today—in your personal life or in your organization.

The vast majority of kids in the developed world finish high school—but not in the United States. More than a million kids drop out every year, around 7,000 a day, and the numbers are rising. Dropping Out offers a comprehensive overview by one of the country’s leading experts, and provides answers to fundamental questions: Who drops out, and why? What happens to them when they do? How can we prevent at-risk kids from short-circuiting their futures? Students start disengaging long before they get to high school, and the consequences are severe—not just for individuals but for the larger society and economy. Dropouts never catch up with high school graduates on any measure. They are less likely to find work at all, and more likely to live in poverty, commit crimes, and suffer health problems. Even life expectancy for dropouts is shorter by seven years than for those who earn a diploma. Russell Rumberger advocates targeting the most vulnerable students as far back as the early elementary grades. And he levels sharp criticism at the conventional definition of success as readiness for college. He argues that high schools must offer all students what they need to succeed in the workplace and independent adult life. A more flexible and practical definition of achievement—one in which a high school education does not simply qualify you for more school—can make school make sense to young people. And maybe keep them there.