International research on student dropout describes its complex nature. In the past, researchers have focused on identifying key characteristics of students who drop out, such as various social, contextual and psychiatric risk factors (Abebe et al., 2015; Ingul et al., 2012). Moreover, researchers have pointed to clear connections between a high degree of truancy and absenteeism among students in primary and lower secondary school and drop out in upper secondary school (Bakken, 2018; Gottfried, 2014). The dropout rate is typically higher among boys compared to girls, among students with minority backgrounds compared to students who belong to the majority culture in a school, and among students with disability compared to those without a disability (Doll et al., 2013) When students drop out of secondary education, there are substantial social and economic consequences that can persist throughout their lives. They are more likely to be unemployed, to become teenage parents, to become involved in the criminal justice system, and to suffer a lifetime of low wages (Ressa & Andrews, 2022). Moreover, school dropouts affect high-income as well as low-income countries (Levin & Belfield, 2007).

The papers in this symposium address research on educational practices in Norway, Spain and Latin-America that aim to provide equitable education by accommodating students’ needs, and thereby prevent dropout and retain students in the school system. Critical questions and comments from the discussant will facilitate discussions on research and practice across the involved countries which will have relevance for a wider audience. The first paper will provide an overview of the existing international research in this area that serves as a basis for the empirical contributions of symposium which explore how school actors (teachers, school leaders) enact policies and engage in collaborations with a range of stakeholders and public services to accommodate the needs of heterogenous student populations. Internationally, researchers describe dropout among students as a complex problem. Therefore, the symposium addresses multi-actor collaboration across levels, institutional boundaries and professions. The work of these actors falls within different regulations, legal statutes, knowledge bases and resources, administrative logics, and traditions.Such collaborative work can potentially address and solve complex problems in specific contexts, but it may also create tensions that require coordination.  The papers describe different educational contexts in which the challenges of providing equitable education to heterogeneous student populations are addressed in different ways, reflecting different understandings of inclusion and equity.

Abebe, D. S., Frøyland, L. R., Bakken, A., & Von Soest, T. (2016). Municipal-level differences in depressive symptoms among adolescents in Norway: Results from the cross-national Ungdata study. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 44(1), 47-54. Bakken, A. (2018). Ungdata 2018 Nasjonale resultater. Nova/Oslo. Doll, J. J., Eslami, Z., & Walters, L. (2013). Understanding why students drop out of high school, according to their own reports: Are they pushed or pulled, or do they fall out? A comparative analysis of seven nationally representative studies. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013503834 Gottfried, M. A. (2014). Chronic absenteeism and its effects on students’ academic and socioemotional outcomes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 19(2), 53-75. Ingul, J. M., Klöckner, C. A., Silverman, W. K., & Nordahl, H. M. (2012). Adolescent school absenteeism: modelling social and individual risk factors. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17(2), 93-100. Levin, H. M., & Belfield, C. R. (2007). Educational interventions to raise high school graduations rates. In C. R. Belfield & H. M. Levin (Eds.), The price we pay: Economic and social consequences of inadequate education (pp. 177-199). Brookings Institution Press. Ressa, T. & Andrews, A. (2022) High School Dropout Dilemma in America and the Importance of Reformation of Education Systems to Empower All Students. International Journal of Modern Education Studies, 6 (2), 423-447.