Dropout is a serious problem within education. This article reports on an intervention project, entitled new roles for the teacher – Increased completion rates through social responsibility, which sought to reduce non-attendance and dropout rates in the Danish adult educational system by improving teachers’ competences.
This goal was pursued by engaging teachers in training programs aimed at improving their relational competences. The data showed that these focused training programs have an effect on the educational culture at the colleges, and on the teachers’ attitudes towards the importance of reducing dropout rates. As a consequence, the teachers acted more consistently and purposefully to prevent dropout and a positive effect of the intervention on dropout rates was documented.