The Dropout Prevention Specialist Workbook: A How-To Guide for Building the Skills and Competencies for Addressing the School Dropout Crisis, by Howard M. Blonsky, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0-19-009084-5, 2020, 192 pages, $39.95.
The Dropout Prevention Specialist Workbook: A How-To Guide for Building the Skills and Competencies for Addressing the School Dropout Crisis is part of the Oxford Workshop Series in collaboration with the School Social Work Association of America. This text contains 12 short chapters (2-17 pages in length), which progress from an introduction of the factors related to student dropout to a discussion of the system structures related to dropout prevention strategies, such as team interventions and school climate and culture. It culminates with dropout prevention and re-entry program design. An extensive appendix is provided with FAQs for various student service teams, sample forms, and data sheet templates.
This resource is written for the individual or group in a school setting charged specifically with creating a strategy and system to work with individuals at risk of dropping out. Although Blonsky acknowledges that the stage may be set early for students in regard to truancy and dropout, the book is primarily addressed to those working in secondary education where dropout rates are highest. Throughout the text, the author weaves in case examples and personal experiences to highlight concepts and effective practices.
The value of relationships and the importance of collaboration are themes that are woven throughout the text. These themes permeate all sections, whether related to service delivery to students and parents, partnerships with school teams and the community, or system analysis and program design. Brief admonishments to maximize meaningful relationships and partnerships are scattered throughout, such as working collaboratively and sensitively with parents instead of blaming, creating mentoring opportunities and teacher-student relationships to promote attendance, and an entire chapter on building positive relationships with students rather than merely punishing misconduct.
Particularly helpful to readers committed to assessing their context and how it affects student participation and/or who have been charged with creating a strategy to address dropout risk are the sets of questions to think about at the end of each chapter. Herein, Blonsky asks directed and provocative questions to challenge the reader to think carefully and assess accurately the climate, needs, services, and support available. This could be particularly useful in helping identify strengths, constraints, and barriers to program development.
Although at first glance this text seems to be a rather small book for the price, it is filled with valuable nuggets of wisdom, numerous resources and examples, and even the author’s email address with an offer of consultation and support. This is not a cookbook with explicit instructions, but rather a compendium of philosophies, strategies, and examples to empower the reader to develop skills and strategies at the micro and mezzo levels for supporting students at risk of dropping out. Individuals looking for a plethora of statistics will need to search elsewhere, but individuals looking for ideas that they can modify for their own contexts will find an abundance.
Reviewed by Rhonda Peterson Dealey, DSW, LSCSW, Assistant Professor, Washburn University, Topeka, KS.
