The idea behind early indicators analytics work is simple but powerful. Years before dropouts actually leave high school, most of them send strong “signals” that they are having some sort of trouble in school. Further, these signals are observable in standard types of data that school districts keep on their students.
Evidence from a study in one large school district suggests that almost half of the eventual dropouts sent “warning signals” as early as sixth grade.
Researchers from the Everyone Graduates Center work with school districts and states to identify the “warning signs” that students send when they are on the pathway to dropping out of high school. In pilot projects supported by the Center, educators have been using real-time data to intervene with students who exhibit one or more early indicators of dropping out.
Our analytics work on early indicators focuses on:
- Basic research on early indicators, including how the indicators vary across different types of districts, and
- Providing data tools and technical assistance to school districts and states that are trying to develop their own early indicator systems