In recent years, there has been a growing awareness that communities with low graduation rates often have very high rates of chronic absenteeism from the early grades onward. Research shows that three out of four students who are severely chronically absent in the sixth grade never graduate from high school. (Robert Balfanz, et al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic—2010-2011 Annual Update, America‘s Promise Alliance, March 2011, p. 20.) http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/GradNation/~/media/Files/Our%20Work/Grad%20Nation/2011%20Summit/Report s/GradNation-rd6-FINAL.ashx
Also, per the Update, is an emphasis on ―early warning and intervention systems‖ and an emphasis on the middle grades. Indeed, according to that report: Research has shown that students who eventually leave high school before graduating exhibit strong predictive warning signs of dropping out, such as infrequent attendance, behavior infractions, and course failure. These warning signs — the ABCs of dropout prevention — more accurately predict whether a student will drop out of high school than any other socioeconomic factors and can be used to predict high school graduation as early as the start of middle school. Given this reality, states are enhancing the quality of the data they are collecting and are building longitudinal data systems. This is prompting the adoption of early warning systems throughout the country at the state, district, and school levels. (Robert Balfanz, et al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic—2010-2011 Annual Update, America‘s Promise Alliance, March 2011, p. 21.) http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/GradNation/~/media/Files/Our%20Work/Grad%20Nation/2011%20Summit/Report s/GradNation-rd6-FINAL.ashx
Two other factors cited in the original report Building a Grad Nation are also important to emphasize. The first was parental engagement, of which that first report stated the following: Research has shown that students with involved parents, regardless of their family income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher level classes, attend school and pass their classes, develop better social skills, graduate from high school, attend college, and find productive work. The opposite is true for students whose parents are less engaged. (Robert Balfanz, et al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic, America‟s Promise Alliance, November 2010, p. 52) http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/GradNation/~/media/Files/Our%20Work/Grad%20Nation/Building%20a%20Grad% 20Nation/Building%20a%20Grad%20Nation_FullReport_FINAL%2011-3010.ashx
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