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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.

New York City Finds Success in Cutting Chronic Absenteeism in School

New York City Finds Success in Cutting Chronic Absenteeism in School

Meeting the Challenge of Combating Chronic Absenteeism Impact of the NYC Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Chronic ...

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National E-Summit on Chronic Absenteeism and Student Achievement

National E-Summit on Chronic Absenteeism and Student Achievement

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Dr. Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins University, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors Invite ...

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Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Graduate Initiative Evaluation

Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Graduate Initiative Evaluation

Ending the dropout crisis will require sustained and coordinated community efforts driven by an understanding ...

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Early Intervention Drives Graduation Success

Early Intervention Drives Graduation Success

The path to dropout starts early. So the earlier a struggling student is identified, ideally ...

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CNN Op/Ed: What You Won’t Hear at Graduation

CNN Op/Ed: What You Won’t Hear at Graduation

(CNN) -- Graduation season is in full swing, bringing with it a lot of discussion ...

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Grad Nation Community Guidebook provides roadmap for communities and states

Grad Nation Community Guidebook provides roadmap for communities and states

America’s Promise Alliance (America’s Promise) has updated the Grad Nation Community Guidebook, a research-based toolkit ...

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Robert Balfanz named “Champion of Change” by White House

Robert Balfanz named “Champion of Change” by White House

Robert Balfanz, a senior research scientist at The Johns Hopkins University, is among 10 education ...

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2013 Building a Grad Nation Report

2013 Building a Grad Nation Report

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

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Overcoming the Poverty Challenge to Enable College and Career Readiness for All: The Crucial Role of Student Supports

Overcoming the Poverty Challenge to Enable College and Career Readiness for All: The Crucial Role of Student Supports

This white paper focuses on an important and under-conceptualized thread in the weave of efforts ...

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