Early Warning Systems

Every 26 seconds a teenager drops out of school in the United States. Early warning systems (EWS) are a tool for identifying students at risk of not graduating from high school. Much like emergency systems that sound warnings of natural disasters, educational EWS signal to school staff that action is needed to proactively address student needs.

Education Northwest’s EWS modules are a set of strategies to help your team effectively implement an EWS. Whether you are just getting started or refining your processes, our modules can support your efforts to identify struggling students when they first start to fall off track, place students in more effective interventions earlier in their school career, and evaluate which interventions produce the best student outcomes.


EWS Modules

Below are text-only versions of the four EWS modules


Guide To Implementing Early Warning Systems

Sarah Frazelle and Aisling Nagel of Education Northwest

This REL Northwest publication summarizes the experience and recommendations of EWS users throughout the United States. The guide covers how to establish and train a team to use the EWS; identify accurate indicators; develop usable indicator reports; map interventions in response to student needs; and evaluate student progress.

This guide was published by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in January 2015.

Download the Guide


About This Site

Created by REL Northwest based on national EWS use

Education Northwest’s Early Warning System (EWS) modules were built based on the experience and recommendations of EWS users throughout the United States. They provide school and district teams with actionable tools to support student success and improve graduation rates.

Our four EWS modules cover how to:

  • Establish and train a team to use the EWS
  • Identify accurate indicators
  • Develop usable indicator reports
  • Map interventions in response to student needs
  • Evaluate student progress

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