A federally funded pilot study is showing promising early results for a tiered intervention to boost graduation rates, finds the research group.
The Diplomas Now model works with schools to boost at-risk students’ “ABCs” of attendance, behavior, and course performance. The MDRC researchers are tracking the program’s use in 32 high schools in 11 districts across the country, compared with 30 other schools that do not receive the intervention.
In the first year of the three-year study, progress was most evident in identification of student needs (catching students who are off-track) and then connecting them with coordinated programs and personnel to enable them to get back on track.
It was more challenging for Diplomas Now schools to change class content and adopt peer-coaching models.
