The Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-Engagement was launched in 2009 and was created to expand efforts in reducing the dropout rate, increasing the graduation rate and advancing credential attainment.This effort is authorized by Colorado Revised Statute 22-14-101 and builds on the state’s commitment to ensure graduation and school success for all students and re-engaging out of school youth. There are five components to this work:
- Analyzing student data pertaining to dropout, completion rates, truancy, suspension and expulsion rates, safety and discipline incidence and student growth.
- Coordinating efforts across CDE and leading initiatives to address dropout prevention, student re-engagement and adult education.
- Identifying and recommending best practices and effective strategies to reduce student dropout rates and increase student engagement and re-engagement.
- Tracking progress and results.
- Securing and managing resources to fund services and supports.
The Dropout Prevention and Student Re-Engagement Unit includes six programs that in 2015-16 represent over $22.5 million in funding to support communities, local education agencies, and schools.
Latest News and Updates
Free Summer Meals for Kids and Teens
Every summer, hundreds of community sites across Colorado offer nutritious meals at no cost to children and teens. Many summer food sites also offer engaging activities to ensure kids have fun while also getting needed nutrition.
Colorado families can find nearby summer food sites by using the online, interactive map at KidsFoodFinder.org, or by calling Hunger Free Colorado's statewide food resource hotline toll-free at (855) 855-4626. Share this information with others in your community, so more Colorado kids can access healthy meals when school is not in session!
The statewide summer food program is supported by the USDA, Colorado Department of Education, Hunger Free Colorado, and many sponsors and sites across the state. (This institution is an equal opportunity provider.)
Colorado graduation rates reach highest marks since 2010, state dropout rates also improve
The dropout rate is 2.3 percent for the 2015-16 school year, which records an all-time low for the state. The four-year graduation rate for the class of 2016 is 78.9 percent, which represents 2,040 more graduates than the class of 2015.
Resources and Tools for Graduation and Dropout Rates
- Full press release of Graduation and Dropout Rates
- Overview of Graduation and Dropout Calculations (PDF)
School Emergency Management
Supporting School Attendance: Tools and Resources.
Here are tools that are useful in promoting school attendance:
- New - Every Student, Every Day: A Community Toolkit to Address and Eliminate Chronic Absenteeism, issued by US State Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Education
- Practices Assessment (PDF)
- Attendance Works Toolkit (PDF)
- Attendance Webinar and Mini guide
- Attendance Fact Sheet 2016 (PDF)
Join the Colorado Re-Engagement Network!
The CRN provides opportunities to share resources and coordinate student re-engagement efforts in order to better serve disconnected students and out-of-school youth throughout Colorado.
To join, please visit Youth For A Change.
