Research

Projects

Researchers of the Dropout Prevention Institute conduct the following projects. They are described in further detail in the Projects section of our website.

• Multivocal Synthesis: With support from the Greater Texas Foundation, this synthesis confirms and further explores the findings from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) practice guide Dropout Prevention with key stakeholders related to school dropout (teachers, counselors, administrators, social workers, students at risk for dropping out of school, etc.).
• The Implementation of an Individualized Reading Intervention and Dropout Prevention Intervention: Through the support of IES, this randomized controlled trial determines the efficacy of two fully developed, feasible interventions that have not been evaluated with students with low literacy and those at risk for dropout. The interventions are: (a) an intensive, individualized reading intervention, Reading Interventions for Adolescents, and (b) a dropout-prevention program, Check & Connect (Sinclair, Christenson, Evelo, & Hurley, 1998; Sinclair, Christenson, & Thurlow, 2005). The efficacy of the interventions are evaluated separately and combined. We therefore have three treatment conditions and one typical-school-practice comparison condition, in an effort to inform the field of the following:
  1. The risk criteria used for identifying students at risk for dropout, specifically those with reading difficulties
  2. Effective practices for reducing dropout rates
  3. The effects of dropout-prevention and individualized school-engagement interventions on populations at high risk for dropout
  4. The effects of a reading intervention alone and a reading intervention in combination with a dropout-prevention intervention
• Graduation = Opportunities for Advancement and Leadership (Project GOAL): Also with support from the Greater Texas Foundation, we are conducting this randomized controlled trial study. Ninth-grade students  qualify for a dropout-prevention intervention if they meet criteria that indicate the students are at risk for dropping out of school. Students are randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (a) dropout-prevention intervention or (b) business-as-usual comparison. The goals of the 3-year project include the development and implementation of interventions to reduce dropout rates and increase school engagement among secondary students at risk for academic failure and overall disengagement from school. Another goal is to develop policy related to reduced school dropout. The long-term goals include extending this research by conducting another experimental study, adding a reading-only condition and a dropout-prevention-plus-reading condition.
• Texas Youth Commission Project: This project is a response to a request for support of recently passed legislation (SB 1362, Sec. 30.106) that calls for a comprehensive plan to improve student reading skills and behavior in Texas Youth Commission facilities.