A recent Child Trends Research Brief,  "Youth who are 'Disconnected' and Those Who Then Reconnect: Assessing the Influence of Family, Programs, Peers, and Communities"  reports on findings that participation in a job search, job training, or school-to-work program  is related to a lower risk of becoming disconnected, even after taking other risk factors into consideration.  In addition, employment appears to be the most frequent method of reconnection. [For this study, disconnection refers to youth who are not in school or working.]

This report cites the influence of programs on keeping kids connected.  One interesting finding was that participating in one or more sports in high school has been shown to predict higher income at age 25. 

On the other hand, poor grades, poor health, and associating with peers who use drugs or get into trouble all increase the odds for disconnection.  These warning signs should raise red flags for parents and schools and indicate these youth may require special attention to help them navigate the transition to adulthood successfully. 

Another interesting finding was that more than half of youth who disconnect are able to reconnect, mostly through getting jobs (77 percent) or going back to school (17 percent).  When youth  are disconnected for three or more years they are more likely to suffer long-term consequences ranging from lower incomes to lack of health insurance to receiving welfare payments or child support.