ja graduation pathways 2011

8/3/2019 JA Graduation Pathways 2011

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JA GraduationPathways



The ChallengeEvery day, 7,000 students drop out o high school. Last year, 1.3 million ailed to graduate. By 2020, 15 million morewill join them.1 Overall, young people who drop out are twice as likely as graduates to be unemployed; three times as

likely to live in poverty; eight times as likely to wind up in prison; and twice as likely to become the parent o a childdrops out o school.2

The dropout crisis directly a ects the U.S. economy. Over the course o astudent’s li etime, a high school dropout earns, on average, about $260,000less than a high school graduate3 and contributes about $60,000 less intaxes.4 Conservative estimates show that the nation’s economy would havebene ted over time rom nearly $335 billion in additional income i thestudents who dropped out o the Class o 2009 had graduated.5 Furthermore,the need or a high school diploma at a minimum is critical as jobs becomemore complex in a global economy and traditional jobs requiring less

education are no longer in demand.

Dropping out o school is a gradual process o disengagement6 and studentshave been shown to demonstrate warning signs as early as kindergarten.7 However, research evidence demonstrates that a key intervention time ismiddle school. During this time, the gap between highest- and lowest-per orming students widens considerably.8 According to a recent study,students who all o track in 6th grade are signi cantly more likely to dropout o school be ore their junior year begins.9 “This complicated period otransition has o ten been associated with a decline in academic achievement,per ormance motivation, and sel -perceptions. It is a time when young

adolescents are most likely to experiment with at-risk behaviors. It is also thepoint at which children begin to make pivotal decisions regarding their academic and career choices.”10

While there has been signi cant attention placed on the high school dropout rate, or more than 2 million studentsgraduation is still “no better than close to a 50/50 proposition.”11 To address this issue, researchers and educators mustcontinue to explore e ective and scalable models. Community organizations must continue to collaborate with schooldistricts to provide an integrated solution. In addition to providing high-quality teachers and tested pedagogy, studentmust see the direct relevance o what they are learning in the classroom to their uture; understand the value o havinga high school diploma at a minimum; and develop the internal drive and belie that they can be success ul.

1 Alliance for Education. (2008). www.all4ed.org/ les/HighCost.pdf.2 America’s Promise Alliance.3

www.tc.columbia.edu/i/a/3082_SocialCostsofInadequateEducation.pdf.4 Rouse, C. E. (2005). “Labor market consequences of an inadequate education.” Paper prepared for the symposium on the Social Costs ofInadequate Education, Teachers College Columbia University, October 2005.

5 www.all4ed.org/ les/HighCost.pdf.6 Lan, W., & Lanthier, R. (2003). Changes in students’ academic performance of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 8(3), 309-332. Neild, R.C.,

Balfanz, R., & Herzog, L. (2007). An early warning system. Educational Leadership, 65(2), 28-33.7 Hickman, G. P., Bartholomew, M., Mathwig, J., & Heinrich, R. S. (2008). Differential developmental pathways of high school dropouts and graduates.

Journal of Educational Research, 102(1), 3-14.8 Dweck et al, “Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement Across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention,”

Child Development, January/February 2007, Volume 78, Number 1; Wagner, “Early Adolescents’ Development across the Middle School Years:Implications for School Counselors,” December 2005.; Eccles and Wig eld, “Young Adolescent Development,” in “What Current Research Says tothe Middle Level Practitioner,” 1997.

9 Balfanz, “Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path,” National Middle School Association, 2009.10 NCMSA, “Supporting Students in Their Transition to Middle School,” A Position Paper Jointly Adopted by the National Middle School Association

and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.11 Balfanz, R., Bridgeland, J.M., Moore, L.A., & Fox, J.H. (2010, November). Building a grad nation: Progress and challenge in ending the high school

dropout epidemic. Retrieved from http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/Building-a-Grad-Nation.aspx.



Junior Achievement’sResearch StudyTo better understand the high school dropout issue, including the risk actors associated with students quitting schooland the key drivers and indicators o high school graduation, Junior Achievement USA conducted an extensive researstudy in our cities: Cleveland, OH; New York, NY; Los

Angeles, CA; and Atlanta, GA. The Bridgespan Group, anonpro t strategy consulting rm, was hired to acilitatethis research phase. Over the course o six months, theBridgespan Group conducted an in-depth, meta-analysiso relevant research studies to identi y the indicatorsmost closely linked to whether students success ullygraduate high school. The research study also included

a comprehensive review o Junior Achievement’sprogram port olio to determine the programs with thehighest potential or impact on these key indicators.Interviews with volunteers, JA sta , board members, andeducators in the our pilot cities were used to develop anorganizational model ocused on providing students with multiple, in-depth JA experiences at key intervention times —starting at the sixth grade and continuing throughout their middle school years and into high school.

The Model for SuccessJA’s vision is to empower young people to own their economic success. High school graduation is essential or thisto occur. For decades, Junior Achievement has o ered a power ul set o programs that support and enable youth ina number o ways, including in their quest toward high school graduation. Through the research conducted by theBridgespan Group, Junior Achievement developed a research-based model ocused speci cally on increasing highschool graduation rates and preparing youth with the skills to be college and career ready. This model is ocused onseven key elements o success that leverages existing organizational assets and utilizes existing knowledge around whdrives high school graduation.

1. Serving students when they are most at-risk, with a ocus on reaching students during the middle grade years

(grades 6-8) and at key transitions (between grades 5-6 and 8-9). Research demonstrates that a key interventiontime is middle school. Based on recent research, approximately 40 percent o potential dropouts could beidenti ed as early as sixth grade based on grade, attendance, and behavioral indicators.12

2. Enhancing and scaling programs with the highest potential or success. Through an extensive review andevaluation o JA programs by the Bridgespan Group, a selection o JA programs with the highest potential toincrease graduation rates was identi ed. These programs will be appropriately scaled to drive impact. Further, akey success actor or JA programs is providing students access to a network o caring adult role-models who wilbring the content to li e by bridging the gap between what students learn in the classroom and the real world.



3. Increasing the dosage o and pipeline between JA programs to maximize impact. Achieving success requiresstudents to be continuously engaged in and receiving the appropriate dosage o JA programming, especiallyduring the middle years. This approach will couple programs to more e ectively serve youth and will leverage thpower o technology.

4. Partnering with other organizations to catalyze urther impact. Program enhancements alone do not su ciently

address all indicators related to graduation. Partnerships with school districts and other youth- and education-ocused organizations that complement JA programs are instrumental to success. This approach works toleverage existing partnerships and to develop new ones that will drive urther success and impact.

5. Increasing capacity and building competencies to support this work. This approach will utilize a multi-disciplinateam, including engagement rom: executive leadership and sta dedicated to programs, development, researchand evaluation, marketing, and volunteer coordination to increase program success.

6. Collecting and using data to assess and improve per ormance. Ample research has been conducted to identi y therisk actors associated with students dropping out o school. Research highlights a set o drivers and indicatorso high school graduation, including academic per ormance, educational expectations, school engagement, anddeviance. Through a detailed review o existing research, the Bridgespan Group identi ed approximately 20key indicators that are most closely linked to dropping out o high school. These indicators were grouped underJunior Achievement USA’s core business areas—youth development, education development, and economicdevelopment (presented in the table below).

Education Development Youth Development Economic Development

Indicatorsmost closelylinked tohigh schooldropout

o Academicachievement

o Attainmento Mobility

Attitudes:o Education expectations*o Perception of utility*o Intrinsic interest*o Goals*o Self-esteem*o Locus of controlo Perception of support

Behaviors:o School engagemento Deviance (in-school)o Deviance (out-of-school)o Extracurricular

participationo Course-takingo

Peer associationo Employmento Pregnancy and parenting

o Knowledge of 21st centurythemes*

o Life and career skills*o Learning and innovation

skills*o Information, media,

technology skills*

*Note: The indicators in bold are most closely linked to whether students graduate. The items with an asterisk aremost closely tied with Junior Achievement programming and where JA programs have demonstrated impact or couldpotentially impact.

12 Balfanz, “Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path,” National Middle School Association, 2009.



While research reveals that academic per ormance is the most important driver o high school graduation, thereis increasing consensus around the important role attitudes and behaviors play in driving student achievement byacting as the sticking mechanisms that allow or academic per ormance.

When assessing JA program impact, analysis

revealed that JA programs directly impact youthattitudes. Moreover, research suggests thatimpact on youth attitudes drives student behaviorswhich, in turn, drive academic achievement. Thisdemonstrates that although JA programs do notdirectly impact academic achievement, they can playa critical indirect role in ensuring student academicachievement and success.

7. Augmenting the role o Junior Achievement USA tosupport JA Area success. Junior Achievement USA

is committed to the success o this strategy and JA Areas can bene t rom this support in a number o ways. This strategy requires JA Areas to collaborate with theJA National O ce in new and di erent ways.

By incorporating these seven key elements o success into the implementation o this research-based model, Junior Achievement USA will empower students to drive their own economic success by providing them with multipleopportunities that increase their motivations and equip them with the tools they need to e ectively navigate their pathsto graduation and to uture career endeavors.

Next Step—ImplementationJunior Achievement’s extensive scope and reach positions the organization well to positively a ect graduation ratesand student success. With 70 percent o the current student impact made at the elementary grade level, there isa tremendous oundation established or learning and or developing positive attitudes and behaviors. The currentorganizational strategic imperative to involve middle and high school students encourages JA Areas to scale learningexperiences with the highest potential or impact.

To acilitate the success ul implementation o this model, Junior Achievement USA will provide support to all o the JA Areas across America that employ this strategy. Signi cant ocus will be placed on measuring the e cacy o this model

on students’ engagement and motivation in school. JA’s philosophy o using rigorous, nationwide evaluations to assesprogram impact will be applied to this approach.

Further, JA will work to elevate awareness about the importance o this national issue and the opportunities to bepart o the solution. New partners will be engaged to build critical capacity and generate resources to accelerateimplementation. Alliances will be established that collaboratively infuence positive outcomes. Throughout this work,Junior Achievement will remain ocused on how to best leverage internal and external resources to drive impact andequip students with the knowledge and skills they need to be college and career ready.

Junior Achievement USA™ 2011

ja graduation pathways 2011

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