Population: Children and Schools

High School Students

MDRC runs and evaluates programs that work with high school students inside and outside of schools to increase their academic achievement, reduce their chances of leaving school before receiving their diploma, and smooth the transition into postsecondary education and work.

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

Preparing High School Students for College

An Exploratory Study of College Readiness Partnership Programs in Texas

College readiness partnership programs bring together colleges and K-12 institutions to reduce the number of students who need remedial courses when they get to college. This report examines 37 partnerships in Texas to identify key characteristics of the programs, as well as benefits and challenges associated with their implementation and sustainability.

Career Academies: Long-Term Impacts on Work, Education, and Transitions to Adulthood

Eight-year findings on Career Academies — a popular high school reform that combines academics with career development opportunities — show that the programs produced sustained employment and earnings gains, particularly among young men. Career Academy participants were also more likely to be living independently with children and a spouse or a partner.

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.

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	California State University’s Proposed Quantitative Reasoning Admissions Requirement Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Locations: California	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	New York City’s Lab for Equity and Engagement in School Enrollment (the E3 Lab) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions Locations: New York
Analysis of the Growth Mindset Study Data Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Washington	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	STRIVE Future Leaders Implementation Study Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Mentoring, Case Management, Career & Technical Education, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania
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	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
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Focus Area: Youth Employment After-School/Out-of-School Time Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York	Strengthening Nonprofit Financial Management Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Illinois	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	Youth-Led Tech Focus Area: After-School/Out-of-School Time Youth and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Sectoral Training, Mentoring, Career & Technical Education, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Illinois	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
Youth Transition Demonstration Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth Employment Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Case Management, Benefits Planning, Employment Services Locations: California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, West Virginia	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	Next Generation Focus Area: Two-Generation Programs Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Welfare-to-Work Locations: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin
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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High School Students

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