Creative’s School Dropout Prevention Pilot program was a research project aimed at finding what works in reducing dropout among students in Tajikistan and also in Cambodia, India, and Timor Leste. It was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
In Tajikistan, the program introduced two interventions in 82 schools. One, an Early Warning System, uses existing school-level attendance, performance and behavior data to identify at-risk students. Once identified, the system worked with parents, teachers and administrators to address students’ needs and keep them in the classroom.
To support these efforts, an after-school tutoring/enrichment program—which used a wide range of student-centered, hands-on, cooperative learning instructional practices and enrichment activities—was introduced. The program reached 3,744 students.
The School Dropout Prevention Pilot program measured data on dropout, grade completion, attendance and performance and compared them to the same indicators from non-intervention schools. It also measured changes in student, teacher, and parental knowledge, attitudes and practices for dropout prevention.
USAID and education ministries used the resulting evidence to create dropout interventions that identify at-risk students and provide the support they need to stay in school.
