Developing a Model for Dropout Prevention and Intervention in Primary and Secondary Schools in Serbia: Assessing the Model’s Effectiveness

Abstract

The paper focuses on investigating the dropout phenomena and the need for its prevention and reduction within Serbian pre-university education. Understanding dropout as a multidimensional and system-level phenomenon, we offer a model for dropout prevention and intervention. The model considers the characteristics of schools in Serbia, together with the diversity of children under risk. Based on the findings from primary and secondary voc ational schools2where the model was piloted, we focus on the model’s effectiveness as related to a reduction in the dropout rate, absenteeism, and grade repetition, together with the rise in students’ overall achievement at the school level. The results suggest the model is largely effective in the reduction of dropout rate, absenteeism, and grade repetition, with some ambiguous findings in regard to the rise of students’ achievement in primary schools.