Building Better Programs

MDRC: Case Management for Students at Risk of Dropping Out

Services to help students stay in school are often fragmented. In this program, school-based coordinators identify students at risk, work with them to assess their needs, connect them with school and community support, and monitor their progress. This report, the first of two from a random assignment evaluation of Communities In Schools case management, focuses primarily on the implementation of case management in 28 secondary schools during the 2012-2013 school year.

Communities In Schools seeks to organize and provide supports to at-risk students in the nation’s poorest-performing schools, including through “case-managed” services. Case-managed students received more services than others, but early impact findings are inconclusive.

Case Management for Students at Risk of Dropping Out: Implementation and Interim Impact Findings from the Communities In Schools Evaluation