Nearly 4 out of 10 African American, Hispanic and Native American students in U.S. public schools fail to graduate on time
An Innovative School Turnaround Model to Address
America's High School Dropout Crisis
America's High School Dropout Crisis
ABOUT
City Year
Communities In Schools
Philadelphia Education Fund
Talent Development
PepsiCo Foundation
What is Diplomas Now?
Diplomas Now is an innovative school turnaround model that unites three experienced nonprofit organizations to work with the nation’s most challenged middle and high schools to deliver the right interventions to the right students at the right time.
AMERICA’S DROPOUT CRISIS IS REAL
- High school graduation rates in America’s 50 largest cities average 50 percent
- Nearly four out of ten African American, Hispanic and Native American students in U.S. public schools fail to graduate on time
- Half of the nation’s yearly high school dropouts (500,000) come from just 12 percent of the nation’s high schools (1,700)
THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS ARE KNOWN
Innovative research conducted by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Social Organization of Schools and the Philadelphia
Education Fund shows that up to 75 percent of America’s high school dropouts can be identified between 6th and 9th grade by the presence of one or more of three different off-track indicators: poor attendance, poor behavior and course failure in English or math.
STRATEGIC EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION THAT WORKS
Diplomas Now pairs evidence-based, comprehensive school reform with national service teams to provide tutoring, mentoring, monitoring and engagement activities at the required scale, and integrated student supports for the highest need students.
Diplomas Now unites three organizations – City Year, Communities In Schools and Talent Development – each one with years of experience in youth service and third-party evidence of impact on helping students succeed. The Philadelphia Education Fund also serves as a national technical assistance partner. The partners complement each other and also collaborate well with local education reform efforts.
Diplomas Now works closely with school administrators and teachers to identify off-track youth and develop, implement and sustain comprehensive, targeted and customized strategies to get them back on track. Diplomas Now is deliberately designed to incorporate, complement and accelerate the impact of other promising and innovative efforts that aim to boost post-secondary success.
