An information system for dropout prevention

Reducing student dropout from school is one of the most important challenges faced by the education system. This study examines the effectiveness of a Local Authority Information Center (LAIC) that was developed in Israel to help prevent this phenomenon. The research population embraced 418 regular attendance officers (RAOs), educators dealing with students dropping out and with those who at risk of dropping out. The RAOs were divided into an experimental group, that executed its work using the LAIC, and a control group that accomplished its work manually. The research findings show that the use of an LAIC system reduced the dropout rate and raised the number of students studying to the school’s satisfaction. This improvement even intensified 3 years later when the size of the experimental group was increased. The RAOs in the experimental group employ most of the LAIC’s facilities and they present positive attitudes towards the LAIC’s contribution to their work. The LAIC system seems to have a real and direct impact on reducing dropping out.