Issues: P-12 Education

High School

MDRC is building a body of evidence on strategies that work to increase graduation rates, boost academic achievement, and improve the transition to postsecondary education and employment for high school students.

The Latest

Brief

Reconnecting Students to Educational Pathways

Schools have long struggled to reengage students who have poor attendance or who drop out—a situation that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2021–2022, Communities In Schools introduced the Reengagement Coordinator Initiative, aimed at reengaging high school students who did not reenroll or were chronically absent.

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Report

NYC as a Laboratory for Learning About Career and Technical Education

This report from the Research Alliance for New York City Schools and MDRC examines the impact of 37 CTE-dedicated high schools in New York City on a range of outcomes, including academic engagement, high school graduation, and college enrollment.

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Key Documents

Report

In Search of a Match

A Guide for Helping Students Make Informed College Choices

This guide for counselors and advisers offers strategies for helping low-income high school students choose selective colleges that match their academic profiles, financial considerations, and personal needs. It tracks the many steps in the college search, application, and selection process, suggesting ways to incorporate a “match” focus at each stage.

Headed to College

The Effects of New York City’s Small High Schools of Choice on Postsecondary Enrollment

New data from a rigorous study confirm that New York City’s small public high schools, which have nonselective admissions and serve many disadvantaged students, increase rates of graduation and college attendance for a wide range of groups, including students of color.

Addressing Early Warning Indicators

Interim Impact Findings from the Investing in Innovation (i3) Evaluation of Diplomas Now

The Diplomas Now whole-school reform model, including targeted interventions for students at risk of dropping out, had an impact on the percentage of students with no early warning indicators related to attendance, behavior, or course performance, and had more encouraging results in middle schools than high schools.

An Experienced School Support Organization at Scale: A Study of The Urban Assembly Network Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	XQ Schools Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools	CTE Advise: Advising Tools in Secondary Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs
Applied Behavioral Coalition (ABC) Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education High School Two-Generation Programs Corrections and Reentry Health Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Children and Schools Intervention: Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Case Management, Career & Technical Education, Behavioral Interventions, Employment Services	MDRC Center for Effective Career and Technical Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	Analysis of the Growth Mindset Study Data Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions
Family Rewards 2.0 Focus Area: Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Families Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: New York, Tennessee	P-TECH 9-14 Evaluation Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Instruction and Curricula Institutional Reform Youth Employment Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Career & Technical Education, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Accelerated Programs Locations: New York	Next Generation California Partnership Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Learning Communities, Career & Technical Education Locations: California
CareerWise Colorado Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Career & Technical Education Locations: Colorado	YouthForce NOLA Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Charter Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: Louisiana	Drive to Write Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: New York
Testing Communications with Parents to Boost High School Students’ Attendance Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	Evaluation of Teach for America’s Redesigned Summer Training Institute Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas	Success Academy Charter Schools Evaluation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Charter Schools, Comprehensive School Reform, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: New York
Estimating Power for Multiple Hypothesis Tests Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools	Innovative Professional Development (iPD) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma	PACE Center for Girls Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Elementary and Middle School High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Classroom Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: Florida
The SEED Foundation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Residential Youth Programs, School Readiness, Student Services Locations: Dist. of Columbia, Maryland	AVID College Readiness System Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida	Communities In Schools Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas
Opportunity NYC Demonstrations Focus Area: Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Families Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: New York	New York City Small Schools of Choice Evaluation Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: New York	Social Innovation Fund Project with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation Focus Area: High School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Reading Instruction, Student Services, Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Classroom Services, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms
Diplomas Now Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Case Management, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Dist. of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas	Evaluation of Ninth Grade Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida	The College Match Program Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Counseling/Advising Locations: Illinois, New York

Great Lakes College and Careers Pathways Partnership Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Instruction and Curricula Youth Employment Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin	High School Reform Conference Series Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform	Texas Developmental Summer Bridge Study Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Developmental Education Student Services Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Accelerated Programs Locations: Texas
Evaluation of the Content Literacy Continuum Focus Area: High School Instruction and Curricula Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin	The Getting Ready for Success Pilot Program Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Developmental Education, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs Locations: Washington	Career Academies: Exploring College and Career Options (ECCO) Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: California, Florida, Georgia
Project GRAD Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Financial Incentives, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas	Talent Development Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Pennsylvania	Scaling Up First Things First Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas
Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program Focus Area: High School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Financial Incentives Two-Generation Programs Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Intervention: Case Management, Financial Incentives, GED Completion Locations: Ohio	Project Transition Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Comprehensive School Reform, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Kansas, Wisconsin	School-to-Work Transition Project Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training Locations: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin
The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia

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