Earning a high school diploma is a milestone that has been linked to many later life outcomes from employment to incarceration to physical health, and impacts society as a whole through tax revenues and government spending. Yet, youth leaving school prior to obtaining a diploma remains a challenge nationwide, particularly in large cities. Congreso’s Éxito program, first implemented in 2008-09, aims to support students and prevent school leaving.
- Targeted recruitment of youth with Early Warning Indicators (EWIs)
- An afterschool program with a supportive climate that offers relevant, hands-on activities and tutoring
- Case management services provided to a subset of students
- A robust school partnership and presence of the program in school
Here are some key findings about the program's reach and impact:
- Participation rates lagged behind initial expectations, both in number of students and intensity of participation, but at least a third of students had sustained participation over multiple years.
- Éxito participants had significantly higher graduation and on-track rates and better credit accumulation compared to matched comparisons, but no significant impacts were found on rates of school-leaving or GPAs and minimal impacts were detected on behavioral outcomes
- Students with more participation saw more improved outcomes compared to non-participants and case management had a larger effect on student outcomes than after school attendance alone.
- Éxito was highly effective at getting students back on track to graduation after falling off track during their first year of high school.
Read the full report to learn more about our research and findings, and to learn about our recommendations.
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