See resources and video from this event

More than a half-million young people in the United States drop out of high school each year—a rate that has remained relatively constant for the last 30 years. The most recent report on Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2006 highlights the challenges facing states in our region, with drop out rates ranging from a low of 74.2 percent in Oregon to 81.5 percent in Montana.

Findings from the Institute of Education Sciences’ practice guide Dropout Prevention were the focal point of this one-day REL Northwest event, designed to bridge research, policy, and practice. The guide offers six evidence-based recommendations for preventing students from dropping out of school. At the forum, participants heard from Dr. Russell Rumberger, an author of the guide; shared professional challenges and successes; and explored specific ways they can use the research to focus dropout prevention efforts in their schools and districts. A panel of community activists and directors of dropout prevention programs shared their strategies and how they reflect the recommendations of the IES guide. The workshop was designed for superintendents, principals, school board members, school dropout prevention committee staff, and state-level staff involved in dropout prevention.

Presenters

Dr. Russell Rumberger is a professor of education in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California (UC) Santa Barbara and director of the California Dropout Research Project at the UC Linguistic Minority Research Center. Dr. Rumberger has conducted research on school dropouts for the past 25 years and has written more than 40 papers and essays on the topic. He is one of the authors of the recent practice guide, Dropout Prevention, published by the Institute of Education Sciences and serves on the national advisory committee for the National Governors Association center for Best Practices project on dropout prevention and recovery. He received his Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University.

Panel

Joyce Harris, Director of the Region X Equity Assistance Center at Education Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory moderated a panel discussion on comprehensive school and community approaches to dropout prevention in Oregon.

Panelists included:

Courtney Montague, School-Based Services Program Manager, El Programa Hispano-Catholic Charities of Oregon, Gresham, OR

Oscar Arana, Youth Activities Manager, Native American Youth and Family Center, Portland, OR

Amy McQueen, District Lead Mentor, Secondary, David Douglas School District, Portland, OR

Nate Waas Shull, Director of Community Engagement, Portland Schools Foundation, Portland, OR

Kali Thorne Ladd, Education Strategies Policy Advisor, Office of Mayor Sam Adams, Portland, OR

Lolenzo Poe, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Multnomah County Chair, Portland, OR