There needs to be a new sense of urgency to prevent students from dropping out of school. A review of the research on effective dropout prevention strategies, including IDRA’s own research over the past two decades, shows that certain components are vital to successful dropout prevention.

• All students must be valued.
• There must be at least one educator in a student’s life who is totally committed to the success of that student.
• Students, parents and teachers must be provided extensive, consistent support in ways that allow students to learn, teachers to teach, and parents to be involved.
• Equity and excellence in schools contribute to individual and collective economic growth, stability and advancement.
• The solutions sought must be institution-based with family and community participation and must embrace the strengths and contributions that students and their families bring.

IDRA’s Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program incorporates these components. It has demonstrated that successful dropout prevention can be achieved.