DATA TELLS A STORY, A BROCHURE BY THE ZERO DROPOUT CAMPAIGN

Data Tells a Story Authored by the Zero Dropout Campaign

Quick facts about the Zero Dropout Campaign We are driving a powerful public advocacy agenda focused on mobilising a range of actors to act on school dropout.

We are developing an accelerated learning programme focused on the rapid catch-up of skills that enable reading for meaning to address underlying learning backlogs that contribute to learner dropout.

We are supporting the development and mobilisation of a network of schools committed to Zero Dropout.

We are piloting innovative approaches to reducing dropout and learning from the implementation experience.

the untold Story: Four out of ten learners drop out of school before completing matric, and the Zero Dropout Campaign aims to change that – with the help of useful data to get ahead of the problem by dealing with its root causes. By looking at the numbers and the information given, we can begin to understand the dropout rate in South Africa – so that we can change the narrative and how the story ends.

Data allows us to understand why so many children drop out of school in South Africa. As a country, we need to collect specific information about our learners’ pathways through school, so we can step in before they drop out.

Where do we even start?

MiSsing pages

Before we can learn anything useful from data, we need to know what we’re looking for. We need to know more than just the number of learners absent from school, out of school or dropping out.

In addition to looking at ‘bigger picture’ data, South Africa needs to collect detailed information about each learner that can be used for their benefit.

A

A good place to start is with the

academic results

tell if a learner isn’t engaged at school:

B

Academic results, Behavioural problems,

C

assessing learners’ dropout risk. These

behavioural problems

chronic absenteeism

“ABCs”. There are three key ways to

and Chronic absenteeism (being absent often). UNICEF backs this model of indicators can be used to build an Early Warning System (EWS) to alert schools when a child is at risk of dropping out.

How many learners are dropping out?

OF 100 Grade 1s, How many make it to matric? start school

60 37 40 WRITE MATRIC

DROP OUT

PASS MATRIC

Why does dropout happen?

Why the story sometimes ends too soon

Research shows that there are a lot of reasons why a child might drop out – and learners hardly ever drop out for just one reason. One big problem that we see is the need for better relationships between teachers and learners: more understanding and support. This can be achieved if teachers knew more about their learners’ struggles by tracking how they’re performing in class, how often they’re absent and whether they’re showing any worrying behaviours.

To help close this gap, one of our

case study

implementing partners working in Paarl and Stellenbosch, Khula Development Group (KDG), hires ‘Dropout Catchers’.

This is the group’s way of checking in on

learners who are often absent from school: they work with schools to visit the homes of these children. Their visits help the Dropout Catchers to learn what might be pulling learners out of school so they can work with caregivers to support and re-engage them.

The individual touch

Why do we need to know more about individual learners?

We already have information about how South Africa’s school children are performing, but this is aggregated data (numbers that are collected by looking at the population as a whole, rather than individual learners). By tracking learners as individuals, we get to see their stories – and can step in when needed.

Another one of the Zero Dropout

case study

Campaign’s partner groups, Masibumbane Development Organisation (MDO), uses data to identify signs of learner withdrawal and to offer support. The facts

they discover about the learners in their support groups help them to understand and work with learners to solve their individual struggles.

“The Check and Connect mentorship programme helps because some of them [the learners] come from parents who are demotivated,” says Xoliswa Adonis, a Grade 7 teacher in Duncan Village, Eastern Cape.

“When a social worker is helping them, there is more motivation in the child. If I’m having a problem, I’ll ask the social worker to help and since she’s familiar to them, they will listen to her.”

What else can be done?

Tracking the story: Our Early Warning System (EWS) The EWS must consistently track absenteeism, behavioural changes and academic performance throughout each learner’s school career. Changes must be met with action – like stronger support structures.

Noluthando’s story “After I had my daughter, the [MDO] Check and Connect Mentor helped me get back to school.

She would call me almost every day and encourage me to come back to school. She would tell me to come back, change how I behave and focus on my studies so I can be somebody in the future. My mother looks after my daughter while I am at school now.

Becoming a mother changed me because before I had a child, I was always in the street visiting friends. But now that I have a child I am always at home and I am focusing on my studies. Now that I’m back at school, my parents are very proud of me and encouraging me to stay at school and not drop out again. When I dropped out, they were very disappointed, but they kept on encouraging me to go back to school.”

Noluthando* (17) is from East London.

She dropped out of school for a year. *Name has been changed to preserve privacy.

Changing the narrative

changing the NARRATIVE

We need to change the idea that dropping out is normal.

The Zero Dropout Campaign aims to do this by proving that it is possible to stop it from happening – and the right data helps us to do that.

What are we aiming for?

Action points for change Make dropout a key performance indicator (KPI) by which education officials are held accountable.

There are KPIs for matric results and other education outcomes, so why wouldn’t we make reducing dropout a proper goal for our school system?

Assign unique learner identifiers to track learners’ journeys.

We can use the tools that we already have – the information management systems that are used by schools.

Implement an Early Warning System (EWS) that shows when learners need help.

Risk factors need to be a part of the Early Warning System we use, so that we can see when support is needed for a learner.

Provide counselling and psychosocial support.

Mentors should be provided – and equipped to step in and help learners at risk, making sure that both their mental health and their social needs are taken care of.

What do we mean when we talk about data?

Author’s notes:

What we mean when we talk about data EMIS: An Education Management Information System, made up of the people, tools and processes involved in collection, sharing and using data about an education system. Education leaders and decision-makers and managers need these facts to make good decisions and meet their responsibilities.

LURITS: The Learner Unit Record Information and Tracking System aims to record data for every learner in SA from grade R through to Grade 12, using the data that schools record.

SA-SAMS: Data about education in SA is stored in the South African Schools Administration and Management System. At the moment, it’s useful for seeing the big picture of some problems in education, but not for tracking the progress of individual learners. Rewriting the story of education in SA means re-writing SA-SAMS. Out-of-School Children (OOSC): Children or youth of compulsory school-going age that have dropped out of school or not enrolled at school.

Early School Leavers (ESLs): Young people who leave education and training with only lower secondary education, or less, and are no longer in education and training.

Defining school dropout

Author’s notes:

defining school dropout THE CONTEXT A learner is considered to have dropped out of school if they have left schooling before they obtain a National Senior Certificate (NSC) in Grade 12 or equivalent certificate such as the NCV or NQF Level 4 (from a post-schooling education and training institution). According to the Learner Attendance Policy, a learner with unexcused, continuous absence for 10 or more consecutive schools days can be considered to have dropped out. However, the onus is on the principal to follow up and provide necessary support for each case of continuous absence.

It’s important to note that we don’t have a clear definition for school dropout in South Africa. UNESCO suggests that we should use this template for a shared understanding:

A child or youth is considered to have dropped out if he or she is of an age that falls between the start and end of compulsory education, and:

1 Was enrolled in school at some time in the past; 2 Didn’t attend school at all between the start of the current school year and [insert calendar date for school reporting of enrolment or dropout] and doesn’t have an excusable reason for this absence;

3 Doesn’t meet any other special conditions that would exclude them from this group.

Together, we can turn the page.

There are many ways for us all to help learners to get the education they deserve. On the Zero Dropout Campaign website, we have links to information for caregivers, educators, learners, decision-makers and NGOs who want to support our goal of halving SA’s dropout rate. www.zerodropout.co.za

The story continues...

ZeroXdropout Zero Dropout Campaign info@zerodropout.co.za zero_dropout 060 054 0000