Programs & Strategies
A scholarship program created by the Outstanding Schools Act in 1993 as an incentive for improving Missouri's high schools, help reduce the dropout rate, and ensure all students who graduate from Missouri high schools are well-prepared to pursue advanced education and employment.
- Fact sheet (pdf)
Afterschool
Afterschool programs provide a safe, caring and nurturing place for extended learning, social, recreational and personal life skills development for students during non-school hours.
Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program
The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, created by the Intercultural Development Research Association, offers secondary school students who are considered at risk of dropping out the opportunity to serve as tutors in elementary schools.
Check & Connect is a dropout prevention strategy that relies on close monitoring of school performance, as well as mentoring, case management, and other supports.
High Schools That Work is a whole-school, research and assessment-based reform effort for grades 9 through 12 established in 1987 by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).
Jobs for Missouri Graduates (JMG)
Jobs for Missouri Graduates (JMG) is modeled after Jobs for America’s Graduates, Inc. (JAG). The JAG Model is a dropout prevention and workforce preparation program for at-risk youth delivered in the classroom through the support of school and business partnerships.
Middle College
Middle Colleges are high school programs housed at institutions of higher learning and are established to help at-risk students who have potential for eventual college studies.
The Missouri Option is designed to target students who have the capabilities to complete Missouri high school graduation requirements, but for a variety of reasons lack the credits needed to graduate with their class and are at risk of leaving school without a high school diploma.
Missouri Virtual Instruction Program
MoVIP serves students ranging from elementary home-schooled children to high school students taking Advanced Placement classes that are not available in their schools. MoVIP serves medically fragile children and those who are homebound for other reasons.
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Response to Intervention (RtI) academic practices includes three-tiered models such as Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and Reading First.
School-based service-learning combines meaningful service to the community with classroom studies in a way that improves student learning and strengthens the community.
- Service-Learning and Dropout Prevention fact sheet (pdf)
- Engaged for Success: Service-Learning as a Tool for High School Dropout Prevention (pdf)
- Video: "What's So Great About Service Learning? (25 minutes)
Featuring Joan Lennon Liptrot, Institute for Global Education and Service Learning. Presented at Missouri Service-Learning Conference, October 2009