Research-Based Interventions to Improve High School Graduation Rates

Summary

The job market today requires more individuals to have a high school
diploma than ever before. Research has consistently shown that one’s
potential for opportunity and achievement grows immensely after
graduating high school. However, schools throughout Arizona and the
United States still struggle to help all, or almost all, of their students
graduate on time.

This whitepaper focuses on analyzing the preexisting research around
which interventions are the most effective at advancing high school
graduation rates, and how Arizona schools could adapt these findings to
their own unique needs.

Generally, research shows that schools should deploy a mixture of system-
wide and targeted Intervention programs that meet the needs of their
individual schools. Notably, schools should be sure to create robust
systems for regularly tracking students’ progress – not only to identify
students early to target for interventions, but also to track the
effectiveness of interventions. For similar reasons, schools should also
make sure that lines of communication are open between the students,
teachers, staff, administration, and the rest of the community, through
techniques like student advocacy, community involvement, and mentoring.

Source: Arizona State University; Decision Center for Educational Excellence (2019). Research-Based Interventions to Improve High School Graduation Rates.