ABSTRACT
International research consistently shows that high school disengagement is related to lower subsequent participation in paid work, fewer employment opportunities, and lower engagement in further education. In Australia, the number of people who do not complete high school varies from 16 to 26 percent, and the average fiscal and social/community costs of high school non-completion are approximately $1 million per individual over a lifetime. High school exclusion is a key marker and potential driver of high school non-completion. The overall objective of this chapter is to examine empirical literature on how complex adolescent behavioural risk and protective profiles impact on high school engagement and performance and to overview empirical approaches to systemic intervention and prevention. Understanding complex determinants will provide much better information on the timing and focus of policies and programs designed to support schools in improving education outcomes for students at risk of exclusion. We make a series of evidence-based recommendations about the detection of students most at risk of exclusion and disengagement and about design features of programs most likely to work for at-risk youth.
