A strong sense of community is linked to higher levels of student retention, wellness and quality of education in counselor education doctoral programs. This is particularly true for marginalized students (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, motherhood status, and international students). Strong, positive faculty relationships with students as well as…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Holding Power." Contents include: (1) Texas Higher Education Law Aims to…

"Open access" is a core mission component of the community college. Through this mission, public two-year colleges provide postsecondary opportunities to nearly all individuals desiring further education. However, access is not necessarily synonymous with success. Many students, including black males, have concerning levels of success, or the lack…

This manual was developed for individuals serving as mentors in Evergreen Valley College's PUENTE Project, a program which integrates the skills of an English teacher, a Hispanic counselor, and Hispanic professionals/mentors into a team structure in an attempt to assist Hispanic students in making academic improvements, to build self-confidence,…

Developed to help instructors prevent their students from dropping out, this paper presents findings from the psychological literature that pertain to persistence. The paper focuses on research concerning: (1) goals, sub-goals, and feedback, which asserts that persistence at a task is influenced by goals, by whether or not a series of subgoals…

An effective academic advising system can assist in the retention of two-year college students; however, the institution and its faculty must be committed to providing such a system. Establishing a successful advising system would require the following: (1) a clear distinction must be made between academic advising and course scheduling; (2)…

This guide is intended to encourage South Carolina secondary vocational education administrators, teachers, and counselors to implement programs designed to keep potential dropouts in school and recover those who leave school prematurely, as well as to provide those educators with research findings relevant to such activities. Following an…

Prepared for community college administrators and faculty, this handbook was designed for use after the presentation of either of two videotaped documentaries treating the problems of access to vocational education programs in California community colleges in terms of both entry and retention problems. Following introductory material, information…

In fall 1985, a study was conducted at Broome Community College (BCC) in Binghamton, New York, to determine whether students who added a class on or after the first class meeting (i.e., late admits) were at greater risk of withdrawing or failing than students who registered on time (i.e., regular admits). Final grades awarded to students in ENG…

A study was conducted to identify the environmental conditions and relationships between external and institutional conditions that have a significant effect upon student transfer activity. A sample of 78 colleges in 15 states were selected from institutions participating in a national transfer project; 42% were located in Texas or California. The…

A study investigated factors affecting participation, engagement, and retention of non-native English-speaking students (NNSs) in community college mainstream classes. The student sample included three classes in developmental English at a small western Massachusetts community college. Data were drawn from taped classroom observations and student…

Florida Community College at Jacksonville's (FCCJ's) "A Learning Enhancement and Retention Tracking" (ALERT) system is a computerized retention program which collects and utilizes a range of retention-related information to help students achieve their goals. Upon application for admission, students complete an ALERT Advising and…

For educators to effectively meet the needs of at-risk nontraditional college students, they must quickly identify such students, utilize the best available teaching techniques, and work to guarantee student retention. Swift identification of potential at-risk students depends on educators' awareness of common indicators, such as the student…

This publication provides resources for linking vocational programs with five special populations. Sections 1-5 each focus on one special population and contain some or all of these resources: activities; recruitment; teacher tips; laws; staff development; funding streams; parent advice; instructional modifications; websites; community resources;…