U.S. Department of Education research indicates that early warning indicator systems are being used in at least half of high schools in the United States. Previous findings from an efficacy study of one early warning indicator and response system, the Early Warning Indicator (EWI) team model, indicated that ninth grade students in schools using…

Theories of student engagement for dropout and school completion are proposed to begin as early as age five. Student engagement in elementary-age students has been linked to school completion, post-secondary education, and achievement. However, there is little research examining patterns and profiles of student engagement in this population. In an…

Although persisters now represent the largest group of non-graduating high school students, they have received little attention in the research literature, leaving unanswered the question of how persisters differ from dropouts in terms of demographic characteristics, academic preparation, and key life outcomes. Using statewide…

Young people attending alternative programs often have histories of schooling shaped by inequities; both leave negative traces on learning and identities. Collectively, they share the experience of early school leaving and limited options for high school completion in alternative programs. The purpose of this article is to describe…