An overview is provided of the problem of student attrition and the essential components of effective retention programs. Following introductory arguments that the secret of retention is in the development of communities committed to education rather than retention, the paper discusses several major causes of student attrition, including academic…

"Cooling out" was identified in 1960 as a specific function of the community college in redirecting students who experienced academic failure. The "soft" cooling out process, which re-directs students into less demanding curricula or out of the college through counseling and advising rather than academic discipline, will increasingly become a…

Background information and a discussion of major issues accompany recommended state minimum standards for grading as presented by an ad hoc Grading Policy Study Group to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The report first notes the diversity of grading policies among the colleges and then outlines the Group's…

The Post-Education Employment Tracking System (PEETS), operated by the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges (CCC) in cooperation with the State of California's Employment Development Department (EDD), is an automated system for tracking the post-college employment rates and earnings of community college program completers and…

Three policy statements on self-regulation initiatives for colleges and universities were developed by the American Council on Education with support, in some cases, from other organizations. Policy statement number one concerns policy guidelines for refund of student charges. The guidelines summarize elements of fair and equitable policy in…

A new, prevailing wisdom is guiding the thinking of policy makers and policy shapers throughout North America; its watchwords are "global competitiveness" and "economic restructuring." The preoccupation with viewing schooling and its role in society through the single lens of global economic competitiveness closes off other…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of information among members of the National Council for Research and Planning (NCRP), this journal provides articles on various aspects of community college research, management, and planning. The two issues of volume 6 contain the following articles: (1) "The President's Forum: What Have We Accomplished?" by…

This bulletin contains materials--announcements, papers, and studies--that are concerned with youth policy issues and that focus on education and training. The first section, entitled Quidnunc, offers brief descriptions of projects of interest, reports recent appointments, and announces conferences. The second section, called Aspects, offers two…

A study was conducted at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to determine if minority students were at greater risk for dropping out, to explore student experiences, and to evaluate existing support services. The survey consisted of telephone interviews conducted with 431 Caucasian and 360 ethnic minority students enrolled at the graduate and…

Children of migrant farmworkers are among the segments of the population most difficult to educate. Data from 1974 indicates the average migrant student had a 40% chance of reaching ninth grade, an 11% chance of reaching 12th grade, and a less than 10% chance of graduating from high school. Factors correlated with students quitting school are…