Persistence; Recovery; Reengagement: Dropout Prevention Framework

This strategy is focused on developing programs to prepare students with the skills needed to successfully persist in graduating, allow students multiple methods for recovering content or credit and demonstrating mastery of standards when they have fallen behind, and identify students who have dropped out and support their transition back to school. In some cases, programs and interventions to support students who have already begun to disengage from the school system are needed to prevent a student from further disengaging or to reengage. These programs can be organized into three main categories:  

• Persistence. Transition and summer bridge programs can help students as well as parents/guardians by providing social and academic support for students in new grades or new schools. This can be achieved through counseling and mentoring, goal setting and monitoring, teaching and practicing essential skills, academic instruction, family outreach, community engagement, and postsecondary and workplace readiness programming and training.  
• Recovery. Credit and content recovery programs provide opportunities for students who have fallen behind the chance to “recover” content or credits and satisfy requirements for the courses in which they were unsuccessful by earning credit, often through different competency-based strategies.  
• Reengagement. Student reengagement programs focus on re-enrolling students who have dropped out of school. The reengagement process involves outreach, re-enrollment, and interventions to support reengagement and educational persistence of out-of-school youth.