Investigation of Intervention Efforts to Combat High Drop-Out Rates in Milwaukee Public Schools

Ms. Azia Barner
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Graduate Student

Several studies and on-going research have reported COVID-19 having negative mental and physical health outcomes for students. It is well known that ACES (adverse childhood experiences) impact how quickly a student can learn, their ability to persevere through challenges, and control emotional reactions and stress levels. Additionally, these experiences could drive higher drop-out rates, which is the focus of this talk/poster. The investigation builds on a study by Amdouni et.al. that likened the influence of failing students to a contagious disease and used a modified
SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infected-removed) model that also incorporated the role of parental involvement in the student’s education. The current model adds explicit intervention at various points in the process. We investigate the resulting dynamics and relate it to data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Committee Members:
Profs. Gabriella Pinter (advisor), Professor Istvan Lauko, and Professor Jeb Willenbring.