What data should I keep track of on an ongoing basis to improve retention rates and reduce dropouts?

At the school level, student attendance is the best data point available for improving access and retention outcomes. Attendance data is easy to collect and can provide great insights such as:

1. Regular Attendance Patterns: Analysing attendance records over time can help identify patterns of regular attendance or chronic absenteeism. This information can be crucial for early intervention with students who are frequently absent.
2. Trends by Grade Level or Class: Breakdowns of attendance data by grade level or individual classes can highlight specific areas where retention issues may be more pronounced. It can help schools pinpoint which classes or grade levels need additional support or intervention.
3. Demographic Insights: Cross-referencing attendance data with demographic information (e.g., gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) can reveal disparities in attendance rates among different student groups. This information can guide efforts to address equity issues.
4. Seasonal Variations: Tracking attendance throughout the school year can show if there are particular times when dropout rates tend to increase. For example, students may be more likely to drop out at the end of a semester or during specific seasons.
5. Interventions and Their Impact: If your school implements retention strategies or interventions, tracking attendance before and after these interventions can help assess their effectiveness. This allows you to refine and improve your retention initiatives over time.

Additionally, academic performance of students on formative and summative assessments can help identify students who may be struggling academically and provide them with appropriate support. Other relevant metrics could include data on students’ behaviour and participation in curricular and extracurricular activities, and the level of engagement of parents in their child’s performance at school.