EDUCATION
BRIEFING #3
THE
LEARNING TO FINISH
C O L L A B O R AT I V E
The Learning to Finish Collaborative is
a broad community coalition focused on
implementing strategies to solve the dropout
crisis in Duval County.
The Collaborative grew out of the Quality
Education for All initiative, launched by The
Community Foundation in Jacksonville in 2005.
As those participating in the initiative gained
knowledge, they focused attention on the
alarming number of high school students who
did not graduate on time. With the support of
the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, these stake-
holders formed the Learning to Finish Council.
The Council conducted a preliminary study of
high school graduation patterns at three schools
and analyzed the capacity of the school system
to meet the needs of struggling students.
Members also visited other communities to
learn how citizens united to stimulate change.
It was based on those models that the Learning
to Finish Collaborative was formed.
Today, public school systems need the support
of all sectors of the community to successfully
meet the needs of students and their families.
The Learning to Finish Collaborative is a critical
component in bringing Duval County resources
together to help students graduate ready for
college and career preparation.
C O L L A B O R AT I V E M E M B E R S
LEAD PARTNERS
» Duval County Public Schools
» The Community Foundation in Jacksonville
» Jacksonville Children’s Commission
» Jacksonville Public Education Fund
» United Way of Northeast Florida
PARTNERS
» Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida
» City of Jacksonville
» Communities In Schools
» Community Engagement Group
» Duval County Public Schools District School
Advisory Committee
» Florida Department of Children and Families
» Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
» Florida State College at Jacksonville
» Full Service Schools of Jacksonville
» JCCI
» Jacksonville Public Library
» Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce
» NAACP
» PACE Center for Girls
» Team Gaia
» Women’s Giving Alliance
» WorkSource
AUGUST 2009
...Ready to Thrive!
B R I N G I N G T H E C O M M U N I T Y TO G E T H E R
TO H E L P D U VA L C O U N T Y
H I G H S C H O O L S T U D E N T S ‘ L E A R N TO F I N I S H ’
In Duval County Public Schools, one out of every three entering 9th grade
students will not graduate from high school in four years – a statistic that
is not acceptable to advocates of quality public education and one that is
not good for Duval County.
During the past two years, a powerful community collaboration has
formed to understand more about the many paths students take through
and away from high school and to instigate changes that will encourage
more young people to get back on track, and stay on track, to graduation.
The Learning to Finish Collaborative includes partners from multiple sectors
– the Duval County school system, the business community, philanthropy and
the nonprofit community (see listing at left). The willingness of these diverse
players to come together to address this issue illustrates the profound ways in
which high school graduation and dropout rates affect the entire community.
The Collaborative is pursuing two strategies simultaneously. The first involves
developing a comprehensive set of data around Duval County students –
who stays on track, who gets off track, and why. The second involves
engaging and mobilizing the community to provide needed support to
the public schools and advocate on their behalf.
This brief, the third in a series on the high school dropout crisis, reports in
detail on the study of Duval County high school students from 2002-2008
and the Collaborative’s response to those findings.
INTRODUCTION
The Duval County public school system non-graduates in Duval County,
is not unlike many other large, urban the Learning to Finish Collaborative,
school systems in Florida and across the through the generous support of The
country. Its student body is highly Community Foundation in Jacksonville,
diverse, its systems are complex and it commissioned a detailed three-part
struggles to help all students graduate study of Duval County public school
from high school on time. students in grades 6-12 from fall 2002
through spring 2008 and analyzed
Duval County’s graduation rate –
patterns associated with students who
the percent of public school students
had dropped out of school.
who graduate in four years – has been
in the mid-60% range in recent years This brief reports on the findings of
(65.9% in 2008). While some students that research, Duval County’s existing
ultimately graduate after five or more drop-out prevention strategies and
years of high school, as many as 30% steps being taken by the Learning to
of high school students leave school Finish Collaborative to address the
during that four-year period without dropout crisis.
graduating.
Research shows
these non-graduates
not only will earn less,
but will experience
poorer health, be more
likely to be incarcerated,
be less likely to marry
and have a shorter life
expectancy. Rather than
contributing to their
communities, they will
be a financial drain on
their communities.1
To understand more
about graduates and
 THE AGENDA FOR CHANGE Start small, think big, scale fast and leverage our assets

The Learning to Finish Collaborative has
mapped a strategic action plan to address
the dropout crisis in Duval County. The
partners will work together, drawing on
each member’s strengths, and seeking
outside expertise where appropriate.
The plan has three major components:
WORKING
IN THE SCHOOLS
Learning to Finish will begin its work in
two clusters of schools:
» Nathan B. Forrest High School and two
of the middle schools that feed into it:
Jefferson Davis and J.E.B. Stuart;
» Terry Parker High School and its two
primary feeder schools: Arlington and
Fort Caroline middle schools.
Principals in these schools will identify by
name rising 6th and 9th graders who exhibit
the academic risk factors reported in the
Learning to Finish research. They also will
identify 12th graders who are behind
academically but close to graduation.
With the help of funding from The LISTENING
Community Foundation in Jacksonville and A N D E N GAG I N G
support from Learning to Finish, each school THE COMMUNITY
will develop a strategic plan to support and
help these at-risk students. The plans will Learning to Finish will support student and
draw on the resources of existing community parent engagement efforts at target schools.
programs, such as the Jacksonville Children’s Learning to Finish will hold conversations in
Commission’s Team UP after-school program, target school neighborhoods to hear about the
United Way’s Achievers for Life, and Full value citizens place on ensuring all students
Service Schools, as well as programs within graduate and to build a network of advocates
Duval County Public Schools. with a sense of urgency about reaching that
goal. The goal is to keep the graduation rate
WO R K I N G W I T H I N at the forefront of community conversation
and at the top of Jacksonville’s priority list.
T H E S C H O O L SY S T E M
Learning to Finish also will work within
the school system to re-examine, coordinate
and enhance the dropout prevention
programs already in place. The goal is to
assure that all efforts are performance
based and complement one another.
Learning to Finish will work to provide
professional development for teachers and ...Ready to Thrive!
providers in existing programs to enhance
positive relationships with students.

A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

O F D U VA L C O U N T Y P U B L I C S C H O O L S
At Duval County Public Schools, our focus is on assuring that every child graduates from
high school with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college or the world of work.
Through the years, we have learned that meeting this goal requires not only the hard work
of the public schools, but the additional support of a broad array of community organizations.
Therefore, we are extremely pleased to be a lead partner in the Learning To Finish Collaborative.
Students need our guidance throughout the school day if they are going to be successful.
They also need help beyond the school day – assistance with homework, tutoring and extra
learning opportunities, as well as social and behavioral supports to overcome the challenges of
growing up in an often difficult world.
We are grateful for the many community partners who have committed to be a part of the Learning to Finish Collaborative.
Our students need their support as well as ours.
We are committed to doing our part to improve the support we offer to students. We are dedicated to working with
our community partners in a systematic way to provide the next generation the best opportunity possible to be successful
in work and in life.
Ed Pratt-Dannals
Superintendent of Schools
 THE LEARNING TO FINISH RESEARCH Who Fails to Finish and Why
A M U LT I - Y E A R A N A LY S I S
Every year, students move in and out of
Duval County and in and out of public
schools, creating challenges for those who
seek to understand what happens to students
over time. For the Learning to Finish study,
researchers isolated cohorts of students.
Researcher Kenneth T. Wilburn, Ph.D.,
of Health-Tech Consultants, Inc., in
Jacksonville, studied three cohorts of
students: those beginning 9th grade in fall
2002 (the Class of 2006), those beginning
9th grade in fall 2003 (the Class of 2007),
and those beginning 9th grade in fall 2004
(the Class of 2008).2 Each cohort included
only those 9th graders who had been
enrolled in Duval County Public Schools
during middle school.
Wilburn then tracked each cohort over
four years. Those who formally withdrew –
for transfer to another school, relocation
or other reason – were noted, but no new
students were added to the cohort.3
HIGH SCHOOL OUTCOMES
For every high school student, graduation
within four years – on-time graduation – is
the goal. But only about six in 10 entering
9th graders in the cohort met that goal.
What happened to the others? The answer
is far from clear.
For the three cohorts studied – the Classes
of 2006, 2007 and 2008 – there were 20,069
entering 9th graders who had attended Duval
County Public Schools in middle school. After
accounting for relocations, transfers, deaths
and withdrawals, a net cohort of 19,505
students remained.
Of these, 11,842 students –60.7%–graduated
on time, receiving a standard diploma.
Another 517 students received a certificate
of completion. A certificate of completion is
not a diploma and not a General Equivalency
Diploma. It merely states that the student
has attended high school for the required
period of time. It generally does not qualify
a student to attend community college or
enter the military.
Another 1,356 students – 6.9% – remained
enrolled in school, having been retained one
or more times along their journey through
high school.
with findings in studies of other
WHERE STUDENTS GO communities across the country.
In each of the three cohorts studied –
Entering 9th graders 20,069* the Classes of 2006, 2007 and 2008 –
significant numbers of first-time 9th
Total known departures 564
(relocations, formal withdrawals, grade students were not promoted to
deaths, transfers to private school, 10th grade. For the three classes, the
home school or adult education) 9th grade promotion rates were 74%,
78% and 74%, respectively, compared
with promotion rates in 10th, 11th
Net Cohort 19,505
and 12th grades of 85% or higher.
Graduated with diploma 11,842 Beginning with a combined cohort
of 20,069 entering 9th grade students,
Received certificate 517 class size drops sharply the first year
of completion
and continues to decline every year
Did not graduate - 1,356 thereafter, until only 12,648 students
Still enrolled are left at the start of the 12th grade
year. Of those, 11,842 graduate with a
Did not graduate - 5,790
No longer enrolled standard diploma.
* Includes only those first-time 9th graders
who attended Duval County Public Schools
the preceding year.
WHY DO WE
LOSE STUDENTS?
But for the remainder – 5,790 students The low promotion rates in 9th grade
or 29.7% of the net cohort – there is no
appear to be tied to poor performance in
record of their whereabouts. They are no
key entry-level high school courses.
longer enrolled in Duval County Public
Algebra 1 and English 1 are basic 9th
Schools or other accredited school in Florida.
grade courses that provide a foundation
This number provides the most accurate
for learning throughout high school. More
count of the students who drop out of
than 30% of those who did not graduate
Duval County Public Schools.4
received a final grade of F in Algebra 1.
And more than 25% of those who did not
graduate received an F in English 1.
WHERE DO WE For graduates, these percentages were
LOSE STUDENTS? 10% and 6%, respectively.
A large proportion of high school But students, teachers and parents
students are lost during the 9th to 10th know the answers are more complex than
grade transition, a trend that is consistent just grades.
 THE LEARNING TO FINISH RESEARCH Who Fails to Finish and Why

To supplement the quantitative research,

the Learning to Finish Collaborative, again
with the support of The Community
Foundation, commissioned a qualitative study
to learn more about why students leave school
– and why they struggle when in school.5
In seven focus groups, with students
(both those in school and those who had left
school), parents, teachers and administrators,
and outside service providers, several themes
emerged:

Constructive student-teacher relation-

ships are critical to student success. When
that relationship is lacking, struggling stu-
dents often let go.
“…this time I have a teacher who is
always trying to help me get my grades up
and knows I don’t have books at home.…
He listens to me, where some teachers
don’t.…” Middle school student.
“…instead of showing my emotions,
letting the kid think he’s getting to me…
I stayed firm and told him to sit down and
I would not let him leave. He said, ‘Lady, why
won’t you let me bail?’ I said, ‘Not on my
watch.’ He sat down and did the work, kicking after being gone all day.…” Former dropout. student in the cohort, enabling us to paint a
and screaming but he did the work.” Teacher. general portrait both of the entire cohort and
“…I’m only going to get out of a kid what
their parents will accept….That support system of those who left school without graduating.
Peer pressure can lure struggling
students into what appear to be more that the kid has from the parents, grandparents, While there are statistical differences in
appealing alternatives. etc., really makes the difference.…” Teacher. race and economic status between those
who graduate and those who do not, the
“…I was in school every day but you see Ultimately, struggling students need data show that significant numbers of
everything on the outside and it sucks you someone to hold them accountable. students of all races fail to graduate on
in, even though you want to go to school
“I know that I’m an intelligent person and time. “Failing to achieve a high school
and know the opportunities it offers for the
I know that I could really do better if I wanted diploma…is a phenomenon that is spread
future – it [peer pressure] makes you do
to but I had a lot of issues with my teachers widely across gender and racial boundaries,”
something you do not want to do.” Former
not giving me the help that I needed. I started Wilburn notes.6
student, now incarcerated.
doing drugs and I skipped and I hung out Instead of looking at “personal
Violence – in school and out of with the wrong kids. I dropped out because characteristics” to predict who will not
school – can be a major distraction. I thought I was pregnant but I was just being graduate, it is more effective to look at
.”…the article in the paper about the stupid.” Student. school-based factors, such as academic
little girl: my kids knew that child and they “I just saw my hand in front of my face performance or attendance.
said, ‘Oh yeah, I was there that night.’ Another and didn’t see the future. But now, because of Those students who received a diploma
kid said, ‘I know who shot her.’…” Teacher. this program, I see how beneficial school could exhibited significantly better academic
“…I just helped another girl. Just by the be and how much I need it and how hustlers performance in certain key areas than
process of my questions, she figured out who don’t survive but people with an education do those who did not receive a diploma.
shot her older brother.” Teacher. survive.” Former student, now incarcerated. Diploma-earning graduates’ mean FCAT
reading scores were about 250 points
Life at home can affect students’ focus
higher on a developmental scale than
on school.
W H AT D O W E K N O W those who did not earn a diploma; and
“…With my daughter, I ask her when she ABOUT THESE STUDENTS? diploma-earning graduates’ mean FCAT
walks in my house what she did that day. math scores were about 150 points higher.
[I don’t want her] going in her room and Researchers had basic non-identifying
coming out with tight clothes on and leaving demographic data about each individual
 THE LEARNING TO FINISH RESEARCH Who Fails to Finish and Why
THE FIFTH-YEAR CLASS
Not all high school students who struggle
give up. Many, in fact, are quite persistent
in their efforts to graduate.
As part of the quantitative study,
researchers also looked at the students in
the cohort who were enrolled through a
fifth year of high school. (Only students in
the classes of 2006 and 2007 are included
in this group as those non-graduates in the
class of 2008 were just beginning their fifth
year during the study period.)
There were a total of 129 students from
the original group who were enrolled for a
fifth year in high school. Of these students,
14 left the school system as transfers or
withdrawals, leaving a net group of 115.
Of those 115 students, 59 graduated at
the end of the fifth year – a graduation
rate of 51.3% – almost a full 10 percentage
points lower than the graduation rate for
four-year students.
This echoes findings from other
communities: students who fail to
graduate in four years are much less
likely ever to graduate.
PREDICTING WHO
WILL STRUGGLE –
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR INTERVENTION
One of the most effective ways to help
students graduate on time is to catch them
before, or in the early stages of, their
struggle. That tactic demands that we
understand more about the early warning
signs of high school disengagement.
To assist in this, the quantitative
researchers analyzed an array of data on a
cohort of 10,093 Duval County public school
students enrolled in grade 6 in the 2001-
2002 school year and followed their
progress through the school system until
the end of the 2007-2008 school year.
The goal was to identify those
characteristics knowable in 6th grade
that are predictors of failure to graduate
on time.
Researchers found that more than three
out of 10 6th graders in the cohort did not
graduate on time. Based on the students’
performance and progression through high
school, researchers were able to identify
several early
warning signs –
or “flags” – that
would indicate a
student is at risk
of dropping out.
The more flags a
student accumu-
lates, the greater
the risk that s/he
will drop out.
In this study,
82% of the 6th
graders who did
not graduate
exhibited one or
more of the early
warning signs.
If we track
these readily
available
indicators for
6th graders, we
can identify four
out of every five
students who are at risk of not graduating use and/or possession) in 6th grade, and the
and offer appropriate interventions to get incidence rose in later years.
them – and keep them - on track. Being overage for grade is a predictor of
Standardized test scores provide the future struggle. But being overage for grade
most valid and reliable predictor of high is, in fact, a product of past academic failure
school completion for 6th grade students, as much as a predictor of trouble to come.
the researchers found – 62% of students More than 58% of 6th graders in the study
who failed to graduate had low scores were overage for grade in the 6th grade,
(level 1 or 2) on the math or reading indicating that they had been retained at
portions of the FCAT, Florida’s standardized some earlier level.
achievement test.
Course failure in 6th grade math or
English also was a risk factor. More than a CONSISTENT FINDINGS
third - 36.2% - of students in the cohort
who did not graduate failed a math course; The findings of both quantitative studies –
more than a quarter - 28.1% - failed an the study of high school students and the
English course. Course failure is a less study of 6th grade students – are consistent
reliable indicator because of year-to-year with patterns that researchers have found
grading inconsistency. in other communities. While each of these
Excessive absenteeism - missing school studies may vary slightly in time frame and
20% or more of the time – is a risk factor, methodology, it is clear that public schools
though most predictive in combination with across the country are struggling to graduate
other factors. Eleven percent of the 6th more of their students in a timely manner.
graders who did not graduate missed While each community has unique factors
school 36 or more days in the 6th grade. that contribute to the problem, the presence
Serious behavior problems, although of common factors suggests that Duval County
not a significant indicator in the 6th grade, may have opportunities to learn from the
become an increasingly important indicator experiences of others.
in later years. Of the students who did
not graduate, 6.7% had serious behavior
problems (physical assault, weapons, drug
 THE LEARNING TO FINISH RESEARCH Existing Options in Duval County
W H A T I S D U VA L C O U N T Y
DOING TO HELP
OFF-TRACK STUDENTS?
Addressing the dropout crisis in Duval
County – or any other community – requires
an array of players, from community groups
and businesses to philanthropic partners
and local government. But at the heart of
any such group is the public school system.
Duval County Public Schools is actively
engaged in multiple efforts to reduce the
dropout rate and support more students
along the path to graduation. To understand
more about those efforts, the Learning to
Finish Collaborative commissioned research
to assess the scope and effectiveness of
Duval County’s dropout prevention and
intervention programs.
The research, conducted by local
consultant Lisa Pelle, examines the options
and supports available for students who
are at risk of not graduating, as well as
the current capacity and effectiveness of
the programs.7
H OW G R E AT
IS THE NEED?
Defining need is the first step in analyzing
the effectiveness of existing efforts.
For this study, an off-track student was
defined as being two or more years overage
for his or her grade or a non-proficient read-
er based on FCAT scores. Depending on the
criteria, there were between 11,000 and
32,000 struggling students in Duval County
Public Schools in the 2006-2007 school year,
and the vast majority of those were middle
and high school students. This suggests that
one out of every five Duval County students
in middle or high school may be at risk of
not graduating. Since we know that roughly
one out of three entering 9th grade students
will not graduate in four years, this is
arguably a conservative assessment.
This report was prepared by the Learning to Finish Collaborative with funding from The Community Foundation in Jacksonville.
It was written by Mary Kress Littlepage, KBT & Associates, Jacksonville, Florida. Copies may be found at www ltfjax.org.
...Ready to Thrive! FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Pam Paul at The Jacksonville Public Education Fund at pam@jaxpef.org or www.ltfjax.org.
* Students who are 2+ years overage for grade
** Non-proficient reader data based on grades 3-10 only
H OW D O S C H O O L S
HELP STUDENTS?
Duval County Public Schools uses multiple
strategies to meet the needs of these
students. Programs offered to struggling
students during the school day provide
intense, individualized instruction in reading
and other core subject areas. The district
also has three major “safety-net” programs
to help off-track students:
» Grade acceleration programs provide
extra support for retained/overage
elementary and middle school students
to help them return to their appropriate
grade level.
» Credit recovery programs help high
school students recover lost credits to
get them back on track for graduation.
» GED Exit Option programs help high
school students obtain a diploma
through an alternative route.
Combined, these programs served
4,288 students in 2006-2007 – no more
than 38% of those students identified as
off-track for graduation.
Unfortunately, the district generally
lacks good data on the long-term
effectiveness of these programs in
impacting graduation rates.
While the district
tracks the number
of students who
participate in the
programs and the
percentage of those
students who meet
performance criteria,
the district does not
track whether these
students go on to
complete high school
– the ultimate goal
of the programs.
P A T H WA Y S
T O G R A D UAT I O N
Duval County has adopted rigorous high school
graduation requirements that significantly
exceed those mandated by the State of Florida.
While this positions those students who
graduate to be competitive in post-secondary
education and careers, the graduation rate
indicates that many students are not receiving
the preparation and supports needed to get
them there.
1
Northeast University Center for Labor Market Studies
2
The Quantitative Data Workgroup, made up of
community volunteers, provided guidance and reviewed
this research.
3
The researchers used data provided by Duval County
Public Schools Department of Instruction Research
and Accountability.
4
In Florida, high schools’ official dropout rates reflect
a one-year snapshot of students who officially drop
out by withdrawing from school and indicating that
they do not intend to return. Thus, the researchers’
assessment of students who leave school between
9th and 12th grades is much higher than the official
dropout rate, which was 3.3% for Duval County in 2008.
5
The Qualitative Data Workgroup, made up of community
volunteers, provided guidance and reviewed this research.
6
Where Have All the 9th Graders Gone? A Descriptive
Study of Three First-Time 9th Grade Student Cohorts,
Kenneth T. Wilburn Ph.D., Dax M. Weaver MPH,
Health-Tech Consultants, November 2008.
7
The Options Workgroup, made up of community
volunteers, provided guidance and reviewed this research.