ISSUE CONTENTS

• Reauthorization News!!
• Telephone Seminar-Dropout Prevention: The (Ex)Students' Perspective
• NDPC-SD Holds First Special Education Forum in Orlando, FL
• Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Celebrating Twenty Years of Keeping Students in School
• 2004 NDPN Crystal Star Awards of Excellence
• Seventeenth Annual National Dropout Prevention Network Conference
• The Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative (The Collaborative)
• Literacy Matters
• Call for Manuscripts

On Friday, December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Specific provisions in the new act require states to establish performance goals and indicators that address graduation rates and dropout rates for students with disabilities. Specifically, states must:

» Establish performance goals that:

• Promote the purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act as stated in section 601(d);
  
  
• Are the same as the state's definition of adequate yearly progress, including the state's objectives for progress by children under the ESEA of 1965;
  
  
• Are consistent, to the extent appropriate, with any other goals and standards for children established by the state;
  
  
• Have measurable performance indicators that the state will use to assess progress toward achieving performance goals in graduation and dropout, including measurable annual objectives for progress by students with disabilities under section 1111(b) (2) (C) (v) (cc) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. http://www.ed.gov/
  policy/elsec/leg/esea02/
  pg2.html#sec1111
  

» In addition, states must:

• Annually report to the Secretary of Education and the public on the progress of the state, and of the children with disabilities in the state, toward meeting the goals established for graduation and dropout which may include elements of the reports required under section 1111 (h) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. http://www.ed.gov/
  policy/elsec/leg/esea02/
  pg2.html#sec1111

» Resources for Establishing and Reporting Performance Goals and Indicators for Graduation and Dropout

• Part B Annual Performance Report
  http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/
  guid/idea/bapr/index.html
  
  
• Annual Performance Report TA Document: Reporting Strategies for Graduation and Dropout
  http://www.dropoutprevention.org/
  NDPC-SD/docs/AnnualP2.doc
  

» Resources for Additional Information on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004

• The Latest Scoop on IDEA Reauthorization from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) http://www.nichcy.org/
  reauth/scoop.htm
  
  
• The New IDEA Council for Exceptional Children's Summary of Significant Changes
  http://www.cec.sped.org/pp/
  IDEA_120204.pdf
  

COCA-COLA VALUED YOUTH PROGRAM CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS OF KEEPING STUDENTS IN SCHOOL

Big Idea: Dropout prevention programs can help schools increase their "holding power" if they are designed to recognize students' inherent value, their contributions, and their potential significance to their communities and society, as a whole.

This year, the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program celebrates 20 years of helping students stay in school based on this big idea. First developed by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) in 1984, this cross-age tutoring program takes students who are considered at risk of dropping out of school and places them as tutors of younger students. Given this role of personal and academic responsibility, the Valued Youth tutors learn self-discipline and develop self-esteem, and schools shift to the philosophy and practices of valuing students considered at risk. Results show that tutors stay in school, have increased academic performance, improved school attendance and advanced to higher education.

This internationally-recognized program creates transformations in students, teachers, and schools. Since its inception in 1984, the program has helped schools keep 98% of program participants in school, more than 12,300 young people who were previously at risk of dropping out. The lives of more than 220,000 children, families and educators have been positively impacted by the program.

The key to the program's success is in valuing students who are considered at risk of dropping out of school and sustaining their efforts with effective, coordinated strategies. The program is flexible—readily adaptable to individual schools—but careful design and assessment have shown that certain elements are critical, such as paying tutors for the work they do or having experienced content area teachers serve as the program's teacher coordinators.

Seven important tenets express the philosophy of the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program.

• All students can learn.
  
  
• The school values all students.
  
  
• All students can actively contribute to their own education and to the education of others.
  
  
• All students, parents and teachers have the right to participate fully in creating and maintaining excellent schools.
  
  
• Excellence in schools contributes to individual and collective economic growth, stability and advancement.
  
  
• Commitment to educational excellence is created by including students, parents and teachers in setting goals, making decisions, monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes.
  
  
• Students, parents and teachers must be provided extensive, consistent support in ways that allow students to learn, teachers to teach, and parents to be involved.
  

Below we discuss the five instructional components, five support components, and the strong research base for the program.

Five Instructional Components

» Classes for Tutors
Tutors meet with their secondary school teacher/coordinator once a week in order to:

• develop tutoring skills that enable them to become successful student tutors;
  
  
• reflect on and celebrate their successes and contributions, thus developing self-awareness and pride; and
  
  
• improve reading, writing and other subject matter skills enabling them to teach these skills to elementary school students.
  

This class, coupled with the actual tutoring sessions, which occur four times a week during the same class period, is offered as an elective or as a state or local credit course.

» Tutoring Sessions
Tutors tutor a minimum of four hours a week for one class period a day. The student tutors earn a minimum wage stipend for their efforts and are expected to adhere to the employee guidelines of their host school. Their primary responsibility is to work in a one-to-three ratio with tutees. Tutoring young children (at least a four-year grade level difference) forces the tutors to use all their own experiences and apply them to the difficult task of teaching.

» Educational Field Trips
At least two to three times throughout the year, students are invited to explore economic and cultural opportunities in the broader community. The field trips are an opportunity for career awareness by exposing the students to a variety of professional environments about which they would otherwise not have concrete insights. They can make more connections between what they are learning in school and what they will need to know to work as professionals.

» Mentor and Role-Models
Adults who are considered successful in their fields and who represent students' ethnic background are invited to participate. A person who has overcome serious barriers can provide powerful modeling. Career and leadership awareness is developed through five guest speakers who model a variety of professions and experiences.

» Student Recognition
Students are acknowledged for the efforts and contributions they make while fulfilling their responsibilities as tutors. Throughout the year, students receive certificates of merit and appreciation; are invited on field trips with their tutees; receive media attention and are honored at a luncheon or supper. Through these events, students experience the importance of their tutoring to the school, the district, and their community.

Support Components

» Curriculum
A primary goal of the curricular framework is to prepare secondary school students to tutor elementary school students. The objectives of the curricular framework are improving the students' self-concept, tutoring skills, and literacy skills.

» Coordination
Periodic meetings are held to coordinate all activities, facilitate communication among personnel and provide first-hand information for monitoring the program. Coordination is formalized through the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program implementation team at each participating site. The team includes the teacher coordinators at the secondary school, the secondary school counselor, the evaluation liaison, the family liaison, an elementary school receiving teacher representative, and the principals of the participating schools.

» Staff Enrichment
Training and other instructive or enriching experiences strengthen the individual program components. The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program includes training and technical assistance by IDRA in response to the participants' needs assessments. Staff enrichment is achieved through technical assistance and in-service.

» Parent Involvement
Efforts to inform and involve families in the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program communicate to the tutors' families that the school takes their children's education seriously and values the families' contributions. Empowering minority and disadvantaged families requires vigorous outreach and meaningful school activities. Parent meetings and sessions, a minimum of four per year, are conducted bilingually or totally in the language of the parents.

Research Base

The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program was extensively researched in 1989 using a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design with data collected for the treatment and comparison group students before tutoring began, during implementation, and at the end of the first and second program years. The results from this research study showed that the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program had a statistically significant impact on the dropout rate, reading grades, self-concept, and attitudes toward school. Only one tutor out of 101 (1%) dropped out of school toward the end of the second year of the program compared to 11 students of the 93 comparison group students (12%). Similar results were found for reading grades, self-concept and attitudes toward school with the tutors outscoring the comparison group.

This research base informed the identification of program elements found to be critical to its implementation and success, allowing for replication as the program expanded across the country. The research also served as the basis for the evaluation design which continues to be one of the most rigorous of any dropout prevention model.

This research base and ongoing program evaluation have provided the evidence that the program works. It continues to be acknowledged as one of only a few proven dropout prevention programs in the country. The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program was identified as an effective program in Show Me the Evidence! Proven and Promising Programs for America's Schools, by Dr. Robert E. Slavin and Dr. Olatokunbo S. Fashola (1998, Sage Publications, Inc - Corwin Press). The authors report that the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program is one of only two programs in the country designed to increase the high school graduation rates of at-risk students.

Other recognition has come from the U.S. Department of Education's Program Effectiveness Panel for inclusion in the National Diffusion Network, April 1991; the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, and President George Bush. It has been featured as an educational model in books by the American Council on Education, the Committee for Economic Development, the Hamilton Fish National Institute on School and Community Violence, Jobs for the Future, the National Center for Service-Learning in Early Adolescence, and the Urban Institute.

It has also been featured as an educational model in many newsletters and journals, including the Center for Corporate Community Relations, the National Education Association, and has been featured in Growing Up Down and Out - Survival Stories, a Barbara Walters' ABC television special, Everybody's Business: America's Children, a NBC television special hosted by the Today Show's Katie Couric (by Shapiro Productions), "Assignment America," NBC Nightly News, and extensive media coverage in American News Service, BBC, Caribbean Business, Christian Science Monitor, Education Daily, Fortune Magazine, Hispanic Business, Hispanic Outlook, Hope Magazine, Houston Chronicle, La Prensa, London Times Educational Supplement, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, PBS, Thrust for Educational Leadership, Trustee, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post (front page).

IDRA provides the full range of training, technical assistance, evaluation and support materials to preserve the integrity of the program and ensure that students receive optimal benefits from this effort. It is currently in cities across the United States and Brazil, positively impacting over 4,000 students. Learn more about the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Progam at: www.idra.org.

CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS

The Journal of At-Risk Issues Thematic Issue

The Journal of At-Risk Issues is accepting manuscripts for our Summer 2005 issue focusing on effective programs and practices in dropout prevention for students with disabilities. Manuscripts should be original and works not previously published nor concurrently submitted for publication to other journals. Manuscripts should be written clearly and concisely for a diverse audience including educational professionals in K-12 schools, state education agencies, community programs, and higher education. Book reviews are not encouraged for this issue.

Manuscripts submitted must address programs, interventions, and research which focus on reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates for students with disabilities, especially students with emotional disorders and learning disabilities. Topics appropriate for this special issue include, but are not limited to, research and practice, risk and resiliency, aggression control, increasing academic engagement and educational persistence, monitoring risk factors, problem solving, building relationships and behavior support, parental involvement, early identification, and school climate.

See our website (www.dropoutprevention.org/
resource/journal_risk/call_manus.htm) for information about format and submission requirements. Please indicate on the cover page of your manuscript that your article is for this special issue on effective programs and practices in dropout prevention for students with disabilities.

SPREAD THE NEWS
We encourage the distribution of our eNewsletter.
Big IDEAs may be distributed freely as long as it is not altered in any way, distribution is without charge, and all copies retain the NDPC-SD copyright notice.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is committed to positive results for children with disabilities. The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities is an IDEAs that Work project. Project Officer: Dr. Selete Avoke.

» For additional information
visit our website at www.dropoutprevention.org
or E-mail us at NDPCSD-L@clemson.edu

» Subscribe
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» Regístrese a nuestro boletín de noticias, Grandes Ideas: Estrategias Para Prevenir La Deserción Escolar.

» HELP

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1
JANUARY, 2005

TELEPHONE SEMINAR
DROPOUT PREVENTION: THE (EX)STUDENTS' PERSPECTIVE

Presenter: Dr. Larry Kortering
Professor of Special Education
Appalachian State University

Monday, February 28, 2005
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm EST

Site Registration Fee – $75.00

Schools are confronting increased pressure to improve the school completion rates for youth with disabilities. This session will examine youth perceptions of high school and the role these perceptions might play in developing interventions that hold promise for keeping more youth with and without disabilities in school until graduation. The seminar will be led by Dr. Larry Kortering, Professor in Special Education at the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University. Dr. Kortering's current research focuses on helping high school teachers develop programs that are more responsive to the needs of youth at risk of dropping out and helping them to succeed in today’s high stakes testing environment. As part of this interest, he has conducted interviews with school dropouts and annually surveys more than 1,000 high school students. These efforts help provide a unique perspective on the high school experience of students with and without disabilities; i.e., that of the student as a consumer.

Participants can invite as many people to participate as one telephone connection can accommodate. When you register, you will receive instructions on how to access the seminar from your telephone and how to receive participant materials by mail or e-mail. The seminar registration fee includes access form one telephone line and one set of reproducible participant materials. Participants can pay using a credit card, check, or purchase order. If you wish to use a purchase order you must register by phone. All purchase orders must be made out to Education Development Center, Inc.

Who should attend this program: Representatives of state education agencies, school based leadership teams, classroom and special education teachers, central office and building level leadership, parent leaders, and policymakers

Register by calling 1-800-775-7654 or online at www.dropoutprevention.org/
NDPC-SD/index.htm

SEMINAR CODE: NDP9177-0

NDPC-SD Holds First Special Education Forum in Orlando, FL

"Creating Model Dropout Prevention Programs: Begin with Effective Instructional Strategies" was the theme of the First National Forum on Dropout Prevention in Special Education held November 3-4, 2004, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL. The Forum, designed to provide information on effective dropout prevention strategies and programs to increase school completion rates for students with disabilities, featured over 15 expert presenters. Participants who attended were able to learn about research-based interventions, discuss state-specific and national issues in dropout prevention, and network with hundreds of other colleagues, researchers, parents, and practitioners.

Key Presentations included:

» Pathways to Success: Improving Academic Success by Focusing on Effective Instruction:
Dr. Jim Knight, University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning, Lawrence, KS

» Self-Determination as a Strategy for Dropout Prevention: Dr. Dalun Zhang, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

» Promoting Academic Success Via Classroom Structure: Dr. Kathy Ruhl, Penn State University, University Park, PA

» Increasing Rates of School Completion: Moving From Policy And Research To Practice: Dr. Camilla A. Lehr, National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, Minneapolis, MN

» The Leadership Challenge in Dropout Prevention: It's Everybody's Business: Dr. Joy Eichelberger, PA Training and Technical Assistance Network, Harrisburg, PA

PowerPoint presentations can be found for key sessions on our website at http://www.dropoutprevention.org/
NDPC-SD/practices/strategies.htm

Participants shared the following comments in their evaluations about our first Special Education Forum:

» "Dynamic, very relevant and practical—all educators need this information."

» "Powerful, amazing, I can see how using research-based interventions can be embedded into my work and not an "add on."

» "Good, strong content and an opportunity for interaction, I have tools I can begin to use when I get back."

» "I learned a lot about dropout prevention and the strong influence of leadership, self-determination, and effective instruction on helping students with disabilities stay in school and graduate."

2004 NDPN CRYSTAL STAR AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

The National Dropout Prevention Network salutes the winners of the Crystal Star Awards of Excellence in Dropout Recovery, Intervention, and Prevention for Students with Disabilities. The Crystal Star Awards Program has been in existence since 1997, but this is the first year that a program and an individual working with students with disabilities were honored.

The winner of the program award was Union Alternative School (http://www.unionps.org/secondary/
secondary_curriculum_alternativeedu.htm), Union Public Schools, Tulsa, OK. The school was created in 1995 to better meet the needs of Union students in grades 9-12 who are unsuccessful in the regular education program. Union Alternative School is not a disciplinary school, rather the school leads students towards success in the mainstream of education through the use of innovative teaching techniques, greater access to counseling services, more individualized course study, flexible scheduling, lower student/teacher rations, and a more supportive classroom atmosphere.

The goals of the program include: a reduced drop-out rate, an increase in the number of academic credits earned, a decrease in the number of classes failed, a reduction in absences, an increase in grade point averages, an improvement in criterion-referenced test scores, a reduction in behavioral problems, and the approval of the program by patrons.

Students with disabilities represent 6-7% of the student population. Approximately 75% of the students are diagnosed as being ADD or ADHD. Over one-third of the students have juvenile justice backgrounds and 34% have social or emotional support needs. Students have posted impressive gains in grades, attendance, and standardized test scores. Pre- and post-scores show an improvement in grade point average from .7 to 2.5; number of absences from 27 to 5; and standardized test scores from the 52%ile to the 79%ile.

Key components of the school program include a strong service-learning program that serves as a model for other alternative education programs throughout the state; a parent education component, "Parents As Teachers Program" that provides weekly assistance to pregnant and parenting teens. As a result of this parenting assistance, only one parenting teen has ever dropped out of Union Alternative School since its inception. Block scheduling and a strong counseling component to assist students with resolving issues are also integral to the success the students have achieved. In 2003, the school won the Oklahoma Foundation of Excellence Medal for Excellence in Alternative Education.

The winner of the individual award was Dr. Larry Kortering (http://www.lre.appstate.
edu/lre_fac.html). He is a professor in special education at Appalachian State University and directs a grant on using Universal Design for Learning in the areas of algebra and biology. He has worked as a public school teacher and rehabilitation counselor. His current interests focus on helping high school teachers develop programs that are more responsive to the needs of youth at risk of dropping out and helping them to succeed in today's high stakes testing environment. As part of this interest, he has conducted interviews with school dropouts and annually surveys more than 1,000 high school students. These efforts help provide a unique perspective on high school—that of the student as a consumer.

Nominations for the 2005 Awards will open in February and nomination forms will be available on the NDPC-SD and NDPC/N websites. Please consider nominating an outstanding program and/or individual.

Information about previous Crystal Star winners may be found on the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network website http://www.dropoutprevention.org/
about/awards.htm

SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL NATIONAL DROPOUT PREVENTION NETWORK CONFERENCE

Ready to LEARN: Helping Students Survive & Thrive

October 15-19, 2005, Santa Clara Marriott, Santa Clara, CA. To review the areas of interest of this conference, please go to: http://www.edualliance.org/2005/
readytolearn/callForPresenters/
interest.html

Should you choose to present materials at this year's conference, please be aware that the deadline for submission is February 15, 2005.

» For More Information
Registration and Call for Presenters
http://www.edualliance.org/2005/
readytolearn/callForPresenters/

THE URBAN SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP COLLABORATIVE (THE COLLABORATIVE)

The Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative (the Collaborative) is a network of special and general education leaders working together to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in the nation's urban schools. The Collaborative (www.urbancollaborative.org) provides opportunities for these professionals to:

• Network with other special and general education leaders from urban school districts across the country
  
  
• Participate in leadership, management, and systems change training opportunities
  
  
• Learn about the latest developments in educational policy, research, and practice related to students with disabilities and other diverse learners
  
  
• Identify barriers and potential solutions to organizational and programmatic challenges
  
  
• Share research, information, and ideas on "what works and why" in urban school districts
  
  
• Obtain personalized technical assistance and customized training and consultation
  

Dropout prevention and strategies for successful re-entry programs were the focus of the Collaborative's Fall 2004 meeting in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Loujeania Bost, Director of the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, presented current data regarding students with disabilities who drop out of school, as well as an overview of current research on effective dropout prevention strategies. A panel comprised of Ms. Gayle Amos of the Baltimore City Public School System, Dr. Allen Sullivan of the Dallas Independent School District, and Dr. Thomas Hehir, the Collaborative's Senior Policy Advisor and former Director of the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education, also shared perspectives on the dropout issue, as well as challenges and successes in implementing programs and services to keep students in school until graduation.

Established in 1994, the Collaborative's current membership includes more than 90 school districts. As one of the partners in NDPC-SD, the Collaborative serves as an expert on critical issues facing the special education community and assists in the identification of model programs in school districts across the country. The Collaborative also performs critical planning, networking, and dissemination functions in support of NDPC-SD's research-to-practice mission. The Collaborative is sponsored by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), which is a partner of NDPC/SD.

» Learn more about the Collaborative

The goal of the LITERACY MATTERS PROJECT is to improve secondary literacy development through online professional development. Focusing on what matters most in adolescent literacy, Literacy Matters' highest priority is to help students who struggle to read and write, not only in ELA classes, but across the curriculum.

One of Literacy Matters' key initiatives is to offer online graduate courses. From January 10 - February 28, 2005, they are offering the course titled, "Helping Struggling Readers Improve Comprehension." This course focuses specifically on supporting students who struggle to understand the meaning of what they read. The syllabus explores the different types of comprehension strategies: i.e., building vocabulary skills, using teacher modeling, having students work collaboratively, and building comprehension monitoring skills.

Then, from March 14 - May 2, 2005, Literacy Matters will be offering another course titled, "Improving Reading and Writing in the Content Areas." This course will give teachers the tools they need to integrate literacy strategies into content learning to help raise student achievement. Course content includes locating web-based tools, strategies, and lessons that foster literacy skills in all content areas. Each course can earn participants one graduate credit from Antioch University Seattle. Next year, two other courses will be added to the menu: one focusing on using adolescent literature as part of the curriculum and another on helping students to conduct Internet-based research.

Literacy Matters offers other learning opportunities to teachers beyond these courses. Visitors to the Literacy Matters website (www.literacymatters.org) will find links to the "best of the best" websites on adolescent literacy development. Numerous links to worthwhile articles, lesson plans, and other resources are organized under the categories of improving the use of adolescent literature and improving content literacy. There is no charge for accessing these pertinent materials.

In addition, a section of the website contains engaging online tutorials that teachers can use as part of the instructional process to teach students about text structures. Three tutorials focus on cause and effect, sequence, and compare and contrast, which are the most common structures found in textbooks. To support use of the tutorials, teachers will find lesson plans and links to additional information.

Literacy Matters, housed at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) was launched in 2000 with funding from the Annenberg Foundation. The U.S. Department of Education (IES and OSEP) have also contributed to its development. If you are interested in participating in the courses, you can find registration materials on the Literacy Matters website or contact Judith Zorfass via email at jzorfass@edc.org or by phone at 800-225-4276 x2426.

» Learn more about Literacy Matters