1.
1
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Dropout Prevention Education:
Encouraging-Students To Excel Professionally
Elizabeth Topoleski
The University of Georgia

2.
2
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Table of Contents
▪ Page 3 Program Overview
▪ Page 5 Issue Analysis and Program Goals
▪ Page 12 Logic Model
▪ Page 13 Participant Needs Analysis
▪ Page 14 Program Design & Implementation Plan
▪ Page 21 Program Evaluation
▪ Page 22 References

3.
3
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Program Overview
Program Title:
Encouraging Student to Excel Professionally (e-STEP)
Target Audience:
The target audience of e-STEP includes high school counselors that work in Atlanta Public
Schools.
Program Location:
The program will take place after school, for one week, to ensure that all of the content taught by
the facilitator can be completed to the best of his or her ability. The facilitator will be able to use
the high school commons area or a free classroom to conduct the one-hour sessions for one
week. Throughout the semester, the facilitators will present the program to all of the high schools
in the Atlanta Public Schools district. These schools include Mays, Therrell, Washington,
Carver, South Atlanta, Crim, Grady, Jackson, Douglass, and North Atlanta. All clusters will
participate and after the program evaluation, new programs will be created to serve the schools
based on individual needs.
FLE Content Areas:
This program is supported by a few of the Family Life Education Content Areas:
Family Life Methodology: This content area focuses on the ability to plan, implement, and
evaluate such educational programs. This content area is the most important when developing a
program, because without being knowledgeable in the content area, the program will not be up to

4.
4
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
the standard of the general philosophy and broad principles of family life education (NCFR,
2007).
Family Law and Public Policy: By developing dropout prevention and intervention programs,
policies can change within school districts to improve the graduation rates across the country.
When programs are evaluated at their completion, the results can help improve other areas that
are dealing with the same issue. As a result, national policies can change and help schools across
the country.
Families and Individuals in Societal Contexts: It is important to understand the relation students
have to their families and in turn, relation to their societal institutions (NCFR, 2007). In this
program’s case, we are trying to understand the role the individual and their family plays in how
the student relates to their educational institution, especially when it comes to the likelihood of
dropping out.

5.
5
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Issue Analysis and Program Goals
Issue:
Encouraging Students to Excel Professionally is a dropout prevention program geared
towards improving the high school graduation rates in Atlanta Public Schools by providing
resources to high school counselors that will aid in identifying at-risk students and aid them in
completing their high-school education. Atlanta Public Schools currently represent the smallest
percentage of high school graduates in the state of Georgia. In 2012, the Georgia Department of
Education reported in a comprehensive chart the graduation rates of cohort students (the cohort
shows the rate of students who all started school together in 9th grade who went on to complete
12th grade on time. The numbers are adjusted for students who transferred schools and those
students who passed away) for every high school in Georgia, the average per school district, and
the statewide graduation average. The lowest reported district graduation rate was 50.87% in
Atlanta Public Schools compared to the statewide average of 69.72% (Georgia DOE, 2012).
There are many studies that have identified a variety of variables associated with not completing
high school. There are two different types of variables, those that cannot be changed and those
that can. The ones that cannot be changed are status variables. These variables include:
socioeconomic status (SES), disability or ability level and family structure. Alterable variables,
which have been identified as things like attendance and identification with the school can be
influenced and changed by those around them, like parents, teachers, and counselors (Lehr, et al.,
2004). This program focuses on efforts of school counselors to become more educated on how to
identify at-risk students likely of dropping out, and how to influence them enough to keep them
engaged in school. There are only a few studies that discuss the reasons students stay in school.
These reasons include: respectful and positive relationships between staff and students,

6.
6
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
satisfaction with learning experience, improved attitude towards school and increased motivation
to obtain a diploma, and relevance of curriculum (Christenson et al., 2000). High school
counselors who complete the program will be able to not only identify the at-risk students, but
also have the resources to develop new ways to inspire students to stay in school.
The high school counselors will attend the program sessions after school, and the
program facilitators will rotate to different high schools in the Atlanta Public School area to
implement the program to all high schools in the district.
Theories:
Bronfenbrenner’s Social Systems Theory:
This theory identifies 5 different environments in which individuals interact. By using this
theory, we study how human interact with the five different systems to see how they relate
within communities and the society as a whole. These systems interact and affect an individual’s
development based on the influence they have. We can relate the five concentric circles to each
individual’s life that we would like to experience our program. First there is the individual and
the characteristics they biologically have: their birth date, ethnicity, health, sex, etc. The
microsystem refers to groups that immediately affect child’s development including, family,
school, religious institutions and peers. Students who have parents that did not complete a high
school diploma are probably less likely to be motivated to complete their own. The kids that they
associate with also affect the individual in terms of peer pressure. The Mesosystem discusses the
connections between the microsystems. For example, a connection between the microsystems is
the relationship between teachers and parents. If parents do not have a solid relationship with
educators, then they will be on separate pages when it comes to the importance of education. The
Exosystem refers to the links between social settings where the individual does not have an

7.
7
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
immediate role and the individual’s immediate context. For example, a child’s experience at
home may be influenced by a parent’s loss of a job, which forces conflict between the two, and
gilts the child into supporting the family financially with a job. Finally there is the Macrosystem,
which describes the culture in which the individual lives. This includes socioeconomic status,
poverty and ethnicity. For example, an individual who feels like they have a low socioeconomic
status truly believes that they cannot succeed in education past high school so they do not pursue
an additional degree. Bronfenbrenner described the sphere of family and school, and discussed
the effects each had on the other. He said that in “homes affording greater opportunities for
communication and decision-making not only exhibited greater initiative and independence after
entering high school, but also received higher grades” (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). So children that
do not have this support at home may need methods to help them become more engaged in the
school setting.
Social Learning Theory:
The basis of social learning theory is that things can be learned and unlearned. When looking at
students who are at-risk for dropping out through the social learning theory lens, we can see
patterns that have been created and reasons why these patterns still exist. Social learning theory
rests on the fact that people do things they are rewarded for and stop doing things they are
punished for. Social learning theory can aid counselors in understanding why their student’s
patterns have progressed to the state they are in and ways to change unhealthy communication.
For example, an at-risk student may have learned that finishing high school is not important to
them because their parents did not stress that importance to them. At-risk students who choose to
drop out of school are not focused on the goal of high school graduation, they fail courses, have
negative peer relationships, attendance issues, and a lack of connection to the school community

8.
8
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
(McIntyre, 2014). These patterns can exist because of pre-existing learned behaviors. They can
pick up these behaviors from any relationship they have in their life, whether it be parents,
siblings, or peer groups. Students exhibiting these pre-existing behaviors of disengagement at
school and attendance issues may be punished for these actions. Based on the social learning
theory, these students are being punished for their actions, and punishments lead to discontinuing
an action that led to the punishment. In this case, if students are punished for their disengagement
in the school setting, they will stop coming to school in the hope that they will not be scolded
anymore.
Scholarly Research:
The first resource I used was Essential Tools: Increasing rates of school completion:
Moving from policy and research to practice. This resource is provided by the National Center
on Secondary Education and Transition. The specific section is a tool created for policymakers,
administrators and educators. It goes into detail about the specifics of high school dropouts, why
they result in dropping out, the characteristics of students who do not drop out, and the best way
to intervene at-risk students and encourage them to stay in school. It also provides more
resources on the subject to create your own intervention programs based on what historically has
worked in retaining student enrollment.
This article, High School Graduation Rates in the United States: Implications for the
Counseling Profession, reviews a report of a nationwide study of U.S. public high school
graduation rates. It discusses consequences of dropping out of school, why students drop out of
school, and problems that school guidance counselors may have with the nationwide graduation
problem. First of all, students who drop out are at risk for individual and social consequences.

9.
9
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Nationwide 56% of high school dropouts were unemployed or not enrolled in college. On
average, students who do not complete high school are at-risk for earning less money, achieving
lower levels of academic achievement and experience poorer mental and physical health.
Dropouts constitute 52% of welfare recipients, 82% of prison population and 85% of juvenile
justice cases. As far as counselors, the article discusses the role that counselors have in creating a
positive impact on the problem of high school dropouts. If they collaborate with school
administrators, parents, and other community leaders they have the opportunity to implement
systematic (improving environmental factors in families, schools and communities that
contribute to the problem) and programmatic (programs that help children stay in and succeed in
school) changes in schools and communities.
In the study called, Understanding Why Kids Dropout of High School According to Their
Own Reports it lists three main reasons as to why students dropout of high school. The first is
being “pushed out”. When adverse situations within the school environment lead to
consequences, ultimately resulting in dropping out. These adverse situations can include tests,
attendance and discipline policies, and even consequences of poor behavior. The second reason
is being “pulled out” of high school. This is when factors such as financial worries,
employment, and family needs or changes; pull the child away from school. It can also include
illness of student, or family member. The last reason they give for students dropping out of high
school is when the student “falls out”. This is when a student does not show significant academic
progress in schoolwork. They usually become apathetic or disillusioned with school completion.
It is a side effect of insufficient personal educational support. It highlights a process where the
student gradually increases in behaviors or desires of academic disengagement, yet without being
forced out by the school or lured out by things they need or want.

10.
10
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Betterhighschools.org created a fact sheet that depicts information about what the average
dropout looks like, including academic skills, demographics, and social skills. There are many
different facts listed on the sheet. The one that really sticks out to me that describes the severity
of the issue is, “One million students drop out of school every year. That means, based on 180
days of school and seven hours a day, a high school student drops out every 9 seconds.” In
addition to this chilling statistic, there is also other identifier described on the fact sheet. The
lowest performing readers are more at risk to drop out of high school. Those in the lowest
quartile are 3.5x more likely to drop out. In addition to lack of academic skills, there are also
demographic facts. Male students are 8% less likely to graduate, low income families are 6x
more likely to drop out, and only 52% of Hispanic students and 56% of African American
students will graduate in 4 years compared to 78% of white students.
Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs with Appropriate
Interventions discusses the early warning signs that can help educators identify students who are
at-risk for dropping out. It also pairs the warning signs with appropriate ways to strategize and
create programs that can prevent and intervene these at-risk students from dropping out. The four
main warning signs that the article talks about are: Failure to be promoted to the next grade level,
failure of core academic courses in secondary school, excessive absenteeism, and other signs of
disengagement. By identifying these risks in students, counselors and other educators will be
more prepared on ways they can develop programs and activities to keep these students in
school.
Overall Goals and SMARTObjectives:
 Goal 1: High School Counselors in Atlanta Public Schools will be more aware on how to
identify students who are at-risk for dropping out of high school.

11.
11
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
o Objective 1: 90% of the counselors will be able to accurately define all of the
predictors of students who are at-risk for dropping out of high school before
graduation.
o Objective 2: Upon completion of the program 80% of counselors will be able to
be given the details of a student and determine whether or not they are at-risk of
dropping out of high school.
 Goal 2: High School Counselors in Atlanta Public Schools will be more aware of
resources already created for the prevention of high school dropouts and understand how
to use those resources to motivate students to stay in school and graduate
o Objective 1: After completing the sessions, 95% of the counselors participating
will be able to list at least 2 resources that relate to their school’s needs.
o Objective 2: Within 1 year, 75% of the counselors who complete the program will
implement a concept they learned from one of the resources provided into their
school.
 Goal 3: High School Counselors who complete the program in Atlanta Public Schools
will take more initiative in motivating students to stay in school and graduate.
o Objective 1: In the 5 years after attending the initial program, counselors will
implement at least two new programs to motivate and engage their students, thus
graduation rates should increase by 10%
o Objective 2: In 10 years since completing the program, the average graduation
rate of any Atlanta Public Schools that had counselors complete e-STEP, should
be within 5% of the Georgia statewide average

12.
12
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP

13.
13
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
III. Participant Needs Analysis
Needs/Interests of Target Audience:
I believe that my target audience of high school counselors has needs in that new
programs need to be implemented in their schools to engage students and have them take pride in
finishing their education. With e-STEP, I hope to target the needs and interests that concern high
school counselors. In addition I hope to give them the resources to identify at-risk students and
implement techniques to increase school graduation rates. I understand that working in a school
district and keeping up with the needs of the students in their caseload, counselors do not have a
lot of extra time to take out of their week to attend a weeklong program. The survey I send out to
all of the counselors in the Atlanta Public Schools district will need to assess dates and times that
would work for their schedules. Based on each individual school, it would also be beneficial to
gauge where the program could be held within the school. It could be held in the commons area
after school, in the office during lunchtime, or even in a spare classroom when their schedule
allows. In addition to these questions, it would also be useful to ask if the counselor’s have any
previous knowledge about the graduation rates at their high school and across Georgia. It would
also be beneficial to inquire about any techniques they currently use to keep kids in school, and if
they know what the signs are for students who are at-risk of dropping out.
To collect the information I need for the needs assessment I will send out an email to all
counselors in Atlanta Public Schools. The easiest way for the counselors to access a survey by
email is for me to utilize a Google Form. The form will give me instant access to the results, so
that I can compile them for myself and utilize before the start of the program. I will give every
counselor access to this form for one week after the initial email. The utilization of a survey is
most beneficial in this situation because I am trying to reach counselors at nine different high

14.
14
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
schools, and instead of taking the time to drop them off and pick them up, I can get instant
responses following their submission.
All of the questions would be open ended, so as to get as much information as possible
from the future participant. Before implementing our program, e-STEP, we want to learn as
much as possible about the participants’ needs. The survey used to access the needs of my future
participants would include the following questions on its Google Form format:
1. What is your name?
2. What school do you work for?
3. Do you know where your school stands in rankings for graduation rates compared to the
state average?
4. Do you and your co-workers have pre-existing methods that you use to keep students
engaged in learning? If so, describe the efforts you are presently practicing.
5. Do you know how to identify a student who is at-risk for dropping out? List any variables
or actions that would classify a student as at-risk:
6. Would you be interested in learning about new resources that can assist you in increasing
the present graduation rates at your school?
7. If a 5-day dropout prevention program were presented at your school, what days and
times would work the best for you?
8. Would you prefer that the program was presented after-school hours, before school hours,
or during planning time in the summer months?
9. What location would work best for you within the school?
10. Do you have any specific things you would like to learn about when it comes to the topic
of dropout prevention? If yes, describe the specifics here:

15.
15
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
IV. Program Design and Implementation Plan
Existing Programs/Curricula:
There are dozens of programs listed on the National Dropout Prevention that counselors and
other educators can search on the website. These programs range from prevention to
intervention, from very effective to not effective. One of the programs is called “Check and
Connect”. It attempts to build trusting relationships between the student and caring, trained
mentors who advocates for and challenges the student to keep education important. Students are
referred to the program when they show early warning signs of disengaging from school, such as
poor attendance, behavioral issues, and/or low grades. There is also the Southern Dropout
Prevention Alliance. This is a non-profit organization that provides educational support in 10
states. They collaborate with schools, stakeholders, and foundations to focus on student
achievement and dropout prevention. They provide professional development and training,
mentoring, early literacy and math interventions; community/family/school collaboration, after-
school/summer academic camps, food and school supply assistance, health education and
awareness for families, family life-skills training, and recreational development for youths.
Finally there is a three-part seminar provided by the National Dropout Prevention Center that
focuses on Effective Strategies for Increasing Graduation Rates. You can schedule a seminar for
your own school to educate teachers and community members on the importance of dropout
prevention.
New Program/Curricula:
On welcome day, we will discuss the current dropout problem that the country, this state,
and this district are facing today. We will discuss why we think students drop out of school, the
factors that increase their likelihood of dropping out, and what the at-risk student looks like in

16.
16
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
their school. We will discuss strategies we can implement to increase the graduation rates, and
provide additional resources to the counselors so that they can continue to be educated on the
growing graduation problem. In the days following after the welcome session, e-STEP will focus
on the 15 most effective strategies for increasing graduation rates as presented by the National
High School Center for Dropout Prevention. The four days following the welcome session will
break down the 4 categories that encompass the 15 strategies. These categories are School and
Community Perspective, Early Interventions, Basic Core Strategies, and Making the Most of
Instruction.
Overview of Program:
The program will take place at a time and place convenient for the counselors involved
according to their needs assessment. It is best that the sessions take place somewhere strategic
for the ongoing attendance of the participants (Cooney, Small, & O’Conner, 2007). The program
will focus on providing resources to counselors to create their own dropout prevention programs,
educating them on ways to identify students at-risk for dropping out, and overall increasing the
graduation rates for Atlanta Public Schools. The first session will be a welcome and how to
effectively identify students at-risk for dropping out and present the effective strategies to
include for dropout prevention programs. The first session will also give additional resources for
programs available that target at-risk children and aid them in becoming invested in their
academic success. After the initial welcome on the first day, the remaining 4 days will focus on
the four different groups of effective strategies that should be used when it comes to dropout
prevention. These main groups are School and Community Perspective, Early Interventions,
Basic Core Strategies, and Making the Most of Instruction. The four main groups will be the

17.
17
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
session title for that specific day. Over the course of the following four days, the facilitator and
the participating counselors will discuss the importance of the 15 different strategies used for
effective dropout prevention programs. We will provide resources on how to implement each one
in their specific school and examples of model programs in existence that support the continuing
belief that these strategies are effective. At the end of day five, participants will be asked to
record the importance of these strategies, and how they can implement them in their schools. The
program will be evaluated based on how much the participants said they have learned and if they
can name the four distinct groups of the effective strategies. They will also be assessed on their
overall enjoyment of the weeklong program as a whole.
SessionDescription for e-STEP Day 1: Welcome to e-STEP!
1. Provide light refreshments and welcome all participants to the program
a. Providing coffee and light breakfast items will encourage counselors to open up and be
nourished before engaging in open discussions and talking about intervention programs
that can be initiated at their high school. Providing basic needs for participants will give
them incentives to come back (Cooney, Small, & O’Conner, 2007). The welcome will
include a brief description about who the facilitators are, what the main goals of the 4-day
program are, and an overview of what we will be covering over the duration of the
program. This will give participants the necessary frame of mind they need to have to
focus on the information being provided to them, and how to use the resources to
improve the overall success of their school.
2. Give the current facts on the dropout problem at that particular school in the Atlanta
Public School System
a. Ask the counselors to write on their handout what they think the current graduation rate is
for their school

18.
18
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
b. Show the average of students who graduate from that particular high school as compared
to the state and national average. It will provide a basis on why the following information
is being presented,and why intervention plans need to be implemented in the school.
3. Let counselors reflecton what the at-risk student looks like then, foster an open discussion
on what the counselors think are the warning signs ofat-risk students
a. Give the counselors a moment to write down on their handout what they think an at-risk
student at their school looks like and what kind of things factor in to them becoming at-
risk.
b. Open the floor to the counselors to discuss what an at-risk student looks like. Give about
10 minutes for discussion on what the student looks like, what kind of factors affect his
or her success,and examples of students they have engaged with in the past.
c. After the discussion, present the at-risk signs for students most likely to dropout
presented by the National High School Center. The main four predictors in student drop
out are: Failure to be promoted to the next grade level, failure of core academic courses
in secondary school, excessive absenteeism, and other signs of disengagement (Kennelly
& Monrad, 2007).
i. In addition to these predictors, social indicators of dropout will be discussed as
well:
1. Abused and neglected students
2. Poor behavior
3. Increased rate of mobility between multiple schools
4. Present activity to do with students,see Appendix B (this activity was done with at-risk
students at Collins Hill High School by Leslie Dendy. I shadowed her for a day and she
described this activity in detail with me. She used it to inspire at-risk students to engage in
their education).

19.
19
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
a. For this activity, each counselor in attendance will be given a slip of paper that defines
what kind of student he or she is. The student could have a number of risk factors that
affect their educational learning experience. It will list the number of classes they are
failing (at least 2), and how many years behind they are in school. Now the facilitator will
discuss the risk factors that attribute to students’ dropping out of high school. After
discussing the risk factors,the facilitator will pass out a diploma that has each fictional
student’s name on it. She will go on to present the benefits of graduating with a high
school diploma, including the average salary, the positives that come with getting a high
school education. Then the facilitator will have each participant rip a piece of the diploma
off for every class he or she is failing at the current time. The facilitator will then go on to
explain the risks that are associated with not completing a high school degree. This will
show the counselors, how important it is to identify risk factors at an early stage,so that
each student can be successfulin their educational journey, and in the end, earn the high
school diploma that they have been seeking.
5. Present the 15 most effective strategies for increasing graduation rates
a. Provide a short description of each of the 15 strategies that aid in increasing graduation
rates. Talk about how and why they are separated into 4 different categories for success.
6. Based on the briefdescription ofeach effective strategy, ask each participant to come up
with a short example on howto implement one ofthe strategies in their school.
a. Provide a sheet of paper and ask each participant to think of a way to implement a
strategy in his or her school district. They need to identify which strategy they are using
and why they think it would be effective at their school
7. Present different resources that will be helpful in identifying at-risk student and further
educated participants on the problem that is increased rates ofhigh school dropout.

20.
20
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Challenges:
Overall, I think the most challenging thing for the program will be finding a time to hold the
weeklong session. Since they are all relatively short sessions (1 hour), it would be beneficial to
have the program be held before or after school, depending on the individual school start times.
This would lead to the next problem of finding a place to hold the program. Since the program
would be conducted at each individual school, the school seems an obvious place to hold the
program sessions. However, where exactly in the school could we go? By addressing this in the
needs assessment, I would be able to find the best location, such as commons area, office, or
open classroom. Finally, I think I will run into the issue of what’s next? However, while this
program looks like it will be very effective in educating and providing resources, it may be
necessary to create a follow-up program to focus on the individual needs of each school. In this
way, based on the final evaluation of the e-STEP program, facilitators can start developing
individual programs for each school to cater to the needs of that specific school’s dropout
prevention cause. If a follow-up program can be created, then that means we have gotten
teachers to care about the cause of dropout prevention and we can be well on our way of creating
a difference in Atlanta Public Schools.
Marketing the program:
The marketing of the program will consist on being in contact with all the high schools in the
Atlanta Public School System. I would call each administrator to gauge whether he or she
believed there was a need for this sort of program at the school. I would ask for his help in
getting his counselors involved in the initiative. I would then follow up with emails to the
counselors along with a flyer depicting the details of the upcoming program. I would not need as
much marketing efforts, as opposed to if I have a less specific target audience.

21.
21
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
V. Program Evaluation
To evaluate the weeklong program, I would collect a survey after session five. The
survey would be a formative and summative evaluation. It will be formativebecause I want to
compare results in a fill-in-the-blank fashion so as to really understand what the counselors took
away from the program. I would want to get feedback on formatively on the program as a
whole, what the participants took away from the program, and how the program could improve
in the future. In summative results I would want information on their thoughts and rate some of
he aspects of the program like facilitator, success of program, educational value, takeaway
information, and enjoyment of the program. The design will be one group only. Each of the high
schools in the district will get the same program, but the results across the board will be
compared at the end of the program presentations in Atlanta Public Schools. The complete
evaluation I will give to the participants at the end of session five is shown in Appendix E.

22.
22
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research
perspectives. Developmental psychology, 22(6), 723.
Check & Connect Student Engagement Intervention Model | Institute on Community Integration
| University of Minnesota. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from
http://checkandconnect.umn.edu
Christenson, S. L., Sinclair, M. F., Lehr, C. A., & Hurley, C. M. (2000). Promoting successful
school completion. In K. M. Minke & G. C. Bear (Eds.), Preventing school problems —
Promoting school success: Strategies and programs that work (pp. 211-257). Bethesda, MD:
National Association of School Psychologists.
Cooney, S., Small, S. A., & O’Connor, C. A. I. L. I. N. (2007). Strategies for recruiting and
retaining participants in prevention programs. What Works, Wisconsin Research to Practice
Series, 2.
Doll, J. J., Eslami, Z., & Walters, L. (2013). Understanding Why Students Drop Out of High
School, According to Their Own Reports. SAGE Open, 3(4).
Kennelly, L., & Monrad, M. (2007). Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning
Signs with Appropriate Interventions. American Institutes for Research.

23.
23
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Lehr, C. A., Johnson, D. R., Bremer, C. D., Cosio, A., & Thompson, M. (2004). Essential tools:
Increasing rates of school completion: Moving from policy and research to practice.
Minneapolis, MN: National Center on Secondary Education and Transition.
McIntyre, K. (2014). At-risk students and the dropout rate: What influences student decisions to
remain in school or drop-out in a suburban high school?. Dissertation Abstracts International
Section A, 74,
Monrad, M. (2007, September 1). High School Dropout: A Quick Fact Sheet. Retrieved October
21, 2014.
National Council on Family Relations. (2007). Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) Exam
Content Outline. In Bredehoft, D.J. & Walcheski, M.J. (Eds). Family Life Education: Integrating
Theory and Practice. (2nd ed.). (pp. 261-263)
Southern Dropout Prevention Alliance. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from
http://southerndpa.org
Stanard, R. P. (2003). High school graduation rates in the United States: Implications for the
counseling profession. Journal of Counseling & Development, 81(2), 217-221.

24.
24
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
2012 4-Year Cohort Graduation Rate. (2012, January 1). Retrieved October 21, 2014, from
http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/communications/Documents/2012 4 Year
Cohort Graduation Rate.pdf

25.
25
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Appendices
Appendix A: Session 1: Welcome to e-STEP! Handout
e-STEP
What do you think the current high school graduation rate is for this
school?
What does a student who is more at-risk to dropping out of high school
look like on paper? Do they include sociological factors, family factors,
environmental factors, etc.?
The 15 Most Effective Strategies for Increasing Graduation Rates:
 Active Learning
 After-School Opportunities
 Alternative Schooling
 Career and Technology Education
 Early Childhood Education
 Early Literacy Development
 Educational Technology
 Family Engagement
 Individualized Instruction
 Mentoring/Tutoring
 Professional Development
 Safe Learning Environments
 School-Community Collaboration
 Service-Learning
 Systematic Renewal
Circle any that you would like to utilize in your school!

26.
26
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
e-STEP
After the brief overview of the 15 most effective strategies, which of
these could you implement in your school and how?
Here are some additional resources to explore additional ways you can
implement change in your school today!
 High School Dropouts: A Quick Fact Sheet
http://www.betterhighschools.org/docs/nhsc_dropoutfactsheet.pdf
 Check and Connect: Intervention Used to Engage Students in
School
http://checkandconnect.umn.edu/docs/CheckandConnectFlyer.pdf
 Southern Dropout Prevention Alliance
 National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Seminar

27.
27
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Appendix B: Session 1: Welcome to e-STEP! Activity

28.
28
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Appendix C: PowerPoint for Session 1: Welcome to e-STEP!

29.
29
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Appendix D: Marketing Tool - Promotional Flyer
e-STEP Program
Educators-Specialized Training to Engage People Successfully
March 9-13th
after school at 3pm
Come learn about how our school district’s graduation rates compare statewide and
what YOU can do to change it.
Douglass High School
MainLibrary 3:00-4:00pm 678-325-8204

30.
30
Dropout Prevention Education: e-STEP
Appendix E: Evaluations
Evaluation for e-STEP Program
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5-strongly agree, 4-agree, 3-neither agree nor disagree, 2-disagree,
and 1-strongly disagree, please circle the number that corresponds to your experience in the
following:
(1) The 5-week program on improving graduation rates in my Atlanta Public School was
interesting to attend
1 2 3 4 5
(2) I learned skills in this program that I know I can implement in my school.
1 2 3 4 5
These ideas include:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
(3) I am now more aware of the problems that exist in our school district relating to high school
dropout and graduation rates
1 2 3 4 5
(4) Students who are at-risk for dropping out look like:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
(5) I will implement some of the things I learned during the program
1 2 3 4 5
(6) I will further investigate some of the resources provided so I can better educate myself to
overall improve the success of my school
1 2 3 4 5
(7) In the space below, please provide any comments you have for the program so that we can
adjust for future programs. Do you have anything you would like to explore further in terms of
dropout prevention?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________