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Robert Balfanz

Principal Investigator and Researcher

Robert Balfanz, PhD, is a research professor at the Center for the Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, where he is the director of the Everyone Graduates Center.

He has published widely on secondary school reform, high school dropouts, early warning systems, chronic absenteeism, school climate, and instructional interventions in high-poverty schools. He focuses on translating research findings into effective school interventions. His work was featured in PBS Frontline’s The Education of Omarina.

Dr. Balfanz is the first recipient of the Alliance For Excellent Education’s Everyone a Graduate Award and the National Forum’s to Accelerate Middle Grade Reform Joan Lipsitzs Lifetime Achievement award. In 2013 he was named a Champion for Change for African American Education by President Obama and he is also an education fellow for the Middle School Matters program at the George W. Bush Institute.

He holds a B.A. in history from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in education from the University of Chicago.

2015 Building a Grad Nation Report

2015 Building a Grad Nation Report

Too many students are trapped in failing schools or in communities of intergenerational poverty with ...

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A Rising Tide of Graduation Rates

A Rising Tide of Graduation Rates

John Bridgeland, former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council & CEO of Civic ...

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Building a Grad Nation 2015 Executive Brief

Building a Grad Nation 2015 Executive Brief

The Building a Grad Nation Executive Brief highlights the national high school graduation rate trends, depicting ...

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Fixing No Child Left Behind: Innovation to Better Meet the Needs of Students (Roundtable)

Fixing No Child Left Behind: Innovation to Better Meet the Needs of Students (Roundtable)

Dr. Robert Balfanz testified before the US Senate HELP Committee on February 3, 2015. The ...

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Harnessing Penny Power to Learn What Works

Harnessing Penny Power to Learn What Works

Teachers and principals are always looking for ways to better teach and support students—including searching ...

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Omarina’s Story – An Update on Middle School Moment

Omarina’s Story – An Update on Middle School Moment

How has Omarina Cabrera fared since her Middle School Moment? Frontline checked in. NARRATOR:  It’s the ...

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The Power of a Penny: Building Knowledge to Invest in What Works in Education

The Power of a Penny: Building Knowledge to Invest in What Works in Education

The federal government spends less than one-tenth of a penny, out of every dollar invested ...

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Stop Holding Us Back

Stop Holding Us Back

This month, more than three million high school students will receive their diplomas. At more ...

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2014 Building a Grad Nation Report

2014 Building a Grad Nation Report

This fifth annual update on America’s high school dropout crisis shows that, for the first ...

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