Phrases 7 | - Freelance Writer
Sep 14, 2017 | #1
RESEARCHING THE CHECK & CONNECT DROP OUT PREVENTION PROGRAM
Proposed Methods and Utilization Analysis
By focusing on the concept of evaluation research, this author aims to prove that drop out prevention programs are beneficial in all communities. Such programs are designed to meet the ongoing needs of students, particularly those at greatest risk for failure and those with behavioral problems. Check & Connect is an effective and proven method of increasing student engagement and significantly reducing drop out rates. The outcome of this study will illustrate how this program will benefit individual schools, parents and students, and communities as a whole. This study is clearly responsive to the needs of the collective community in ways that foster productive student engagement, increase high school graduation rates, increase secondary education enrollment, and result in productive adult citizens later in life.
Methodology
Within this section, the author details the participants involved in the study, data and data collection with regard to data needed and available data, the approach used (qualitative), and limitations of the study findings and outcomes. This study focuses on the Check & Connect drop out prevention program and its effectiveness compared to other drop out prevention programs. The author's aims to answer questions related to the outcome areas of communication and knowledge and the delivery of the program in terms of increased student engagement and mentoring support by conducting an in-depth literature and research review for similar programs. By reviewing similar programs and their effectiveness, the author is confident that the findings will reveal the Check & Connect program is the most effective program to date and that the program would be beneficial for use all schools.
Participants
This study does not utilize participant input in the quantitative sense; instead, this study focuses on the qualitative factors presented and available through past studies and reference material obtained from a variety of sources specifically related to the stakeholders that include state regulatory and licensing agency personnel, child service agencies, parents of children attending secondary educational facilities, parents of other children in the community, school administrators, school teachers, school board members, truant officers, and juvenile justice court officials. For regional specific data, this author will consult with regional stakeholders listed above within a 100-mile radius of the author's location.
Data Required
To complete this study, the author will require extensive data on national drop out statistics, previous hypotheses on why students drop out of school, levels of parent involvement both with and without intervention and prevention programs, and summaries and statistics for two of the nation's top drop out prevention programs to compare to the Check & Connect program. Any information obtained from individuals will be compiled separately for comparison to past studies and literature reviews. Further data might be needed in regard school that do not employ a drop out prevention program and why.
Data Available
Data is available at local, state and federal levels and will be accessed and used accordingly during the course of this study. Specific data that applies directly to the stakeholders referenced within this study will be analyzed and compared to the findings of past studies to determine the overall effectiveness of the Check & Connect program and the receptiveness of stakeholders in implementing the program if such a program is not currently in use.
The data obtained for this study includes reference material for Check & Connect and similar drop out prevention programs in addition to academic, government, organization, and institutional websites including but not limited to the What Works Clearinghouse, the Department of Education website and publications, independent studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and other studies as related to the program and outcomes listed herein. Specific study data obtained includes the work of Cheney, et al., who conducted a two-year study of "two hundred seven students in Grades 1 through 5 who were at risk for severe behavior problems" (p. 226) to determine the effectiveness of the Check & Connect program.
Further data will be obtained by examining national drop out statistics before and after the program was launched. Such types of data will come from government statistics databases and media sources related specifically to the coverage of drop out issues and prevention methods.
The Wings Institute provides valuable data regarding research of programs and studies relating specifically to the Check & Connect program with extensive comparisons to other similar programs. By assessing evidence-based research as predominant data sources, this author believes that the outcome of the study and presentation of findings will substantiate the overall premise of the Check & Connect program as a reputable and effective method of reducing drop outs among the nation's teens. Additional data will include brief reviews of drop outs, reasons teens drop out of school, the statistics regarding the lifestyle of teens after dropping out, and related data that will, in turn, further substantiate the benefits of drop out prevention programs and the lasting impact such program have on students into adulthood.
Approach
Using the qualitative approach, data will be analyzed based on the findings of individualized studies and compared to the literature reviewed in the course of researching for this study. The author will close examine related literature to discern what elements of the data are applicable to this study with regard to the questions posed herein. Because this study focuses on answering the series of preliminary research questions, it does not rely on a hypothesis in the traditional sense; however, an underlying hypothesis that can be assumed is that the Check & Connect program is beneficial to significantly reducing drop out rates in participating schools thus leading the author to recommend the program as a preferred option for all schools.
The information analyzed will be compared with the expected standards for the Check & Connect program which include outcome areas where at least 25% of families report more frequent communication with their teens regarding frustration in the classroom and an improvement in student scores by at least 20 points on Check & Connect content-based items. Further analysis will determine whether the findings of past studies and current data are in compliance with the Check & Connect program design and what aspects of change might be applied to improve deficiencies and noncompliance areas, particularly as related to the hours mentors spend with students each week and the hours students spend on coursework each week.
This study will review statistics concerning the aftermath of dropping out of school and compare this data to the lifestyles of students who completed high school after engaging in a drop out prevention program. Collectively, each level of this research will support the author's view that intervention and prevention programs do work to increase student engagement, increase parent involvement, significantly reduce drop out rates, and to increase the quality of life after graduation (e.g. continuing on to college, dedicated mindsets for the workplace, etc.).
Limitations
The greatest limitations include poor or lack of parent feedback concerning how they feel drop out prevention program work to engage students and an inability to obtain parent involvement in their child's academic career. Some limitation might apply when seeking sufficient data to cover the short, medium, and long term outcomes. Other limitations might include lack of current data available in the literature and research material, particularly within the past one to two years. However, data within the last five years is typically viewed as current by academic research standards. Based on this statement, the author believes that the accuracy of information presented within the study and the analysis of the data obtained will be sufficient to make a strong assessment of the effective of the Check & Connect program.
REFERENCES
Cheney, D. A., et al. A 2-year Outcome Study of the Check, Connect, and Expect. Intervention for Students at Risk for Severe Behavior Problems. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 17(4), 226-243.
Christenson, M. T. Check & Connect: A Comprehensive Student Engagement Intervention Manual. Check & Connect.
Pankow, C. (n.d.). Transporting an Evidence-Based School Engagement Intervention to Practice: Outcomes and Barriers to Implementation. The Wings Institute.
Research. The Wings Institute.
Proposed Methods and Utilization Analysis
By focusing on the concept of evaluation research, this author aims to prove that drop out prevention programs are beneficial in all communities. Such programs are designed to meet the ongoing needs of students, particularly those at greatest risk for failure and those with behavioral problems. Check & Connect is an effective and proven method of increasing student engagement and significantly reducing drop out rates. The outcome of this study will illustrate how this program will benefit individual schools, parents and students, and communities as a whole. This study is clearly responsive to the needs of the collective community in ways that foster productive student engagement, increase high school graduation rates, increase secondary education enrollment, and result in productive adult citizens later in life.
Methodology
Within this section, the author details the participants involved in the study, data and data collection with regard to data needed and available data, the approach used (qualitative), and limitations of the study findings and outcomes. This study focuses on the Check & Connect drop out prevention program and its effectiveness compared to other drop out prevention programs. The author's aims to answer questions related to the outcome areas of communication and knowledge and the delivery of the program in terms of increased student engagement and mentoring support by conducting an in-depth literature and research review for similar programs. By reviewing similar programs and their effectiveness, the author is confident that the findings will reveal the Check & Connect program is the most effective program to date and that the program would be beneficial for use all schools.Participants
This study does not utilize participant input in the quantitative sense; instead, this study focuses on the qualitative factors presented and available through past studies and reference material obtained from a variety of sources specifically related to the stakeholders that include state regulatory and licensing agency personnel, child service agencies, parents of children attending secondary educational facilities, parents of other children in the community, school administrators, school teachers, school board members, truant officers, and juvenile justice court officials. For regional specific data, this author will consult with regional stakeholders listed above within a 100-mile radius of the author's location.
Student Drop Outs - Data and Data Collection
Data Required
To complete this study, the author will require extensive data on national drop out statistics, previous hypotheses on why students drop out of school, levels of parent involvement both with and without intervention and prevention programs, and summaries and statistics for two of the nation's top drop out prevention programs to compare to the Check & Connect program. Any information obtained from individuals will be compiled separately for comparison to past studies and literature reviews. Further data might be needed in regard school that do not employ a drop out prevention program and why.
Data Available
Data is available at local, state and federal levels and will be accessed and used accordingly during the course of this study. Specific data that applies directly to the stakeholders referenced within this study will be analyzed and compared to the findings of past studies to determine the overall effectiveness of the Check & Connect program and the receptiveness of stakeholders in implementing the program if such a program is not currently in use.
The data obtained for this study includes reference material for Check & Connect and similar drop out prevention programs in addition to academic, government, organization, and institutional websites including but not limited to the What Works Clearinghouse, the Department of Education website and publications, independent studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and other studies as related to the program and outcomes listed herein. Specific study data obtained includes the work of Cheney, et al., who conducted a two-year study of "two hundred seven students in Grades 1 through 5 who were at risk for severe behavior problems" (p. 226) to determine the effectiveness of the Check & Connect program.
Further data will be obtained by examining national drop out statistics before and after the program was launched. Such types of data will come from government statistics databases and media sources related specifically to the coverage of drop out issues and prevention methods.
The Wings Institute provides valuable data regarding research of programs and studies relating specifically to the Check & Connect program with extensive comparisons to other similar programs. By assessing evidence-based research as predominant data sources, this author believes that the outcome of the study and presentation of findings will substantiate the overall premise of the Check & Connect program as a reputable and effective method of reducing drop outs among the nation's teens. Additional data will include brief reviews of drop outs, reasons teens drop out of school, the statistics regarding the lifestyle of teens after dropping out, and related data that will, in turn, further substantiate the benefits of drop out prevention programs and the lasting impact such program have on students into adulthood.
Approach
Using the qualitative approach, data will be analyzed based on the findings of individualized studies and compared to the literature reviewed in the course of researching for this study. The author will close examine related literature to discern what elements of the data are applicable to this study with regard to the questions posed herein. Because this study focuses on answering the series of preliminary research questions, it does not rely on a hypothesis in the traditional sense; however, an underlying hypothesis that can be assumed is that the Check & Connect program is beneficial to significantly reducing drop out rates in participating schools thus leading the author to recommend the program as a preferred option for all schools.
The information analyzed will be compared with the expected standards for the Check & Connect program which include outcome areas where at least 25% of families report more frequent communication with their teens regarding frustration in the classroom and an improvement in student scores by at least 20 points on Check & Connect content-based items. Further analysis will determine whether the findings of past studies and current data are in compliance with the Check & Connect program design and what aspects of change might be applied to improve deficiencies and noncompliance areas, particularly as related to the hours mentors spend with students each week and the hours students spend on coursework each week.
This study will review statistics concerning the aftermath of dropping out of school and compare this data to the lifestyles of students who completed high school after engaging in a drop out prevention program. Collectively, each level of this research will support the author's view that intervention and prevention programs do work to increase student engagement, increase parent involvement, significantly reduce drop out rates, and to increase the quality of life after graduation (e.g. continuing on to college, dedicated mindsets for the workplace, etc.).
Limitations
The greatest limitations include poor or lack of parent feedback concerning how they feel drop out prevention program work to engage students and an inability to obtain parent involvement in their child's academic career. Some limitation might apply when seeking sufficient data to cover the short, medium, and long term outcomes. Other limitations might include lack of current data available in the literature and research material, particularly within the past one to two years. However, data within the last five years is typically viewed as current by academic research standards. Based on this statement, the author believes that the accuracy of information presented within the study and the analysis of the data obtained will be sufficient to make a strong assessment of the effective of the Check & Connect program.
REFERENCES
Cheney, D. A., et al. A 2-year Outcome Study of the Check, Connect, and Expect. Intervention for Students at Risk for Severe Behavior Problems. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 17(4), 226-243.
Christenson, M. T. Check & Connect: A Comprehensive Student Engagement Intervention Manual. Check & Connect.
Pankow, C. (n.d.). Transporting an Evidence-Based School Engagement Intervention to Practice: Outcomes and Barriers to Implementation. The Wings Institute.
Research. The Wings Institute.