Promising practices to reducing school dropout in Jordanian schools: A positive deviance approach

In Jordan, policy responses to address out of school children and adolescents (OOSC) focus heavily on nonformal education (NFE) for those who have already left school, with less attention to reducing the incidence of dropout and chronic absenteeism in the first place. This paper addresses that gap through a mixed-methods study conducted in 2023–24, comprising a survey of 723 school principals, thirteen key informant interviews, and ten school case studies informed by focus groups and interviews. The study used a positive deviance approach to identify schools that demonstrate local, context-specific approaches to identify and more effectively support students at risk of dropping out, including Syrian refugees, poor Jordanians, and children with disabilities. Findings point to four recurring practices: close teacher observation of student attendance, behaviour, and wellbeing to identify risk early; proactive engagement with parents and caregivers; school cultures characterised by empathy, flexibility, and relational trust; and mobilisation of community resources to address material barriers to participation. Additionally, spillover effects were observed in schools that hosted afternoon NFE programmes for OOSC, including the adoption of NFE participatory and student-centred teaching methods. These findings provide critical and timely insights to inform the implementation of Jordan’s new National Education Strategy (2026–30) on how to address the retention problem at the secondary level, and can inform low-cost scalable practices in similar contexts. The study underscores the importance of empowering schools and educators to adapt locally driven, low-cost practices that build relational trust, student engagement, and inclusive learning environments.