Early warning systems for students at risk of dropping out - Policy and practice pointers for enrolling all children and adolescents in school and preventing dropout

UNICEF helps countries and education professionals improve their strategies to prevent school dropout. Building on the Education Participation Series, this brief on Early Warning Systems for students at risk of dropping out aims to guide education decision-makers and schools on dropout prevention.

Education is a fundamental human right. It is the foundation that enables children and adolescents to grow, develop and gain the knowledge, values and skills they need to reach their full potential, gain economic independence and play an active role in their communities and societies. Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for a free, equitable and good quality primary and secondary education for all girls and boys by 2030, leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. To achieve this goal, it is vital that each and every child completes their education, without dropping out along the way.

There is growing evidence of the significant social and economic returns of education - including at upper secondary level - for individuals and for entire societies. The list of benefits is impressive: better lives, better health, greater gender equality, greater social cohesion, greater incomes, more tax leverage for governments, reduced crime and risky behaviour among young people, and a lower burden on social welfare, health and justice budgets (UNICEF, 2017).

Given these benefits, it is not surprising that the prevention of dropout has become a priority for most governments across the world. The Europe 2020 Strategy, for example, aims to reduce the share of early leavers from education and training to less than 10 percent. The prevention of dropout and early school leaving is also seen as a key strategy to support adolescents and youth and maximise their chances of making a good transition from education into the workplace.

An Early Warning System (EWS) is one of many approaches to prevent dropout. This brief explains the contexts in which an EWS is a good option to prevent dropout. It also presents a five-step approach to develop an EWS and questions that should be addressed to maximise its impact.