Keeping High-risk Youth on Track to Graduation through Out-of-school Time Supports - Éxito

Oct 15, 2026

Éxito is a dropout prevention program that helps ninth- and tenth-grade students at risk of leaving school through afterschool programming and case management. Implemented in partnership with a large Philadelphia neighborhood high school by Congreso de Latinos Unidos, the program is funded by the Department of Human Services and private foundations. A four-year longitudinal evaluation tracking early cohorts indicates promising reductions in dropout rates and positive attendance and course-passing outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Éxito

In Context

Program Evaluation and Early Evidence

Program Benefits and Challenges

éxito Keeping High-risk Youth on Track to Graduation through Out-of-school Time Supports by Tracey Hartmann, Deborah Good, and Kimberly Edmunds Éxito means success in Spanish, so it is a fitting name for a dropout prevention program. Set in a large neighborhood high school in a low-income, largely Latino section of Philadelphia, Éxito supports ninth-and tenth-grade students who are at risk of dropping out of school by providing them with afterschool programming and case management services. The program was designed and is implemented by a large multiservice community agency, Congreso de Latinos Unidos1 (Congreso), working in partnership with the school. Funding comes from Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services and from private foundations. When Éxito was launched in the 2008–09 school year, Congreso contracted a four-year longitudinal evaluation following the first cohort of program participants through high school graduation. The evaluation, now in its third year, has assessed student outcomes and studied program implementation. Results from the first two years suggest that Éxito shows promise for reducing the dropout rate among those it serves. The program has TRACEY HARTMANN, Ph. D., is a senior research associate at Research for Action (RFA), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization engaged in educational research, evaluation, and strategic advising. At RFA, Tracey leads mixed-methods research and evaluation projects, particularly in the areas of out-of-school time programs and college access initiatives. A former OST program manager and classroom teacher, she holds a doctorate in interdisciplinary studies inhuman development from the University of Pennsylvania. DEBORAH GOOD has an M. S.W. from Temple University, with a particular emphasis on community-based qualitative research. She has contributed to a range of projects at Research for Action, including a study of students’ transition to high school in Philadelphia, an examination of Philadelphia’s “turnaround” schools, and an action research project with out-of-school youth. A writer and editor, she has worked in Philadelphia public middle schools as a teacher’s assistant and social service coordinator. KIMBERLY EDMUNDS is a senior research assistant at Research for Action (RFA) . She was a classroom teacher in Philadelphia for four years before completing the master’s program in urban spatial analytics at the University of Pennsylvania. There she explored how geospatial technology could be used as a tool in educational research and policy. Kimberly is especially interested in the sociology of education, such as the distribution of educational opportunities across race and social class. attracted teens with “early warning indicators” for dropping out of school. In addition, program participation has been associated with positive student outcomes. Participants had fewer school absences than a comparison group for both of the first two years of the program; in year 2, they were also more likely to pass major subjects than a comparison group. This article describes the Éxito program model, provides early evidence of its benefits, and shares promising practices as well as challenges identified by the evaluation. Éxito in Context Philadelphia, like many urban areas, faces a staggering dropout rate. Between 42 and 46 percent of students do not graduate from high school within six years (Neild & mate problems that can create significant stress for students who may already experience distressing situations in their homes and neighborhoods as a result of poverty. Without adult guidance, adolescents may cope with this stress in ways that make sense to them in the short term—skipping school to avoid getting into a fight, for example—but are detrimental in the long term (Spencer, 1999) . While school reforms are needed to address the root causes of dropping out, research on out-of-school time (OST) programs like Éxito suggest that they also have a ro

FAQs

What problem does the Éxito program target?

Éxito targets the high risk of students dropping out of school, especially among ninth graders, by focusing on at-risk students before and during their high school transition.

How does Éxito support students?

Éxito provides afterschool programming plus case management services, aiming to offer consistent adult guidance, help students manage daily stress, and build educational resilience.

What does the evaluation report about early outcomes?

Early results from the first two years suggest Éxito shows promise for reducing dropout rates, with participants experiencing fewer absences and higher likelihood of passing major subjects compared with a comparison group.

Oct 15, 2026

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