This study of the persistence behavior of undergraduates at America's 4-year colleges and universities used data from the "High School and Beyond" study, a national survey of 28,000 high-school seniors. "Persistence" is described as the flow of students through college over a 6-year period. Four categories of persistence were…

In response to concern that some community college students were being denied access to courses because others had enrolled in more courses than they really intended to maintain, the California community college finance bill of 1983 mandated that the colleges charge students a $10 fee for each course dropped after the second week of the term (not…

This report is concerned with students who either dropped out or were dismissed from grades 9 through 12 during 1983-84 in 14 school systems in Arkansas. It is intended for use by state government, the State Department of Education, state and local policymakers, school administrators and staffs, parents, and young people. The data presented in…

This 1980-81 survey, which follows up a similar 1979-80 study, explores parents' reasons for transferring their children into or out of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Rockville, Maryland. A total of 277 parents of students leaving MCPS for private schools in Maryland and 281 parents of students entering from private schools in Maryland…

This report presents the results of a review of course withdrawal and forgiveness policies at public community colleges and state universities in Florida, with a view toward standardizing such policies that impact articulation, the transfer of credit, and credit-hours-to-degree. It recommends that: (1) forgiveness, withdrawal, and incomplete…

Data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Follow-Up Surveys were used to study student retention at four-year colleges and universities. Data used were from the 1985-1988 follow-up surveys of 1981-1984 freshmen. Student data were also requested directly from the institutions themselves, concerning degree earned, number of years…

An analysis is presented of factors and conditions affecting student completion rates in the remedial mathematics program (Mathematics 1403) in the Tarrant County (Texas) Junior College District. Following introductory material on the purposes of the study and the tasks of five project teams, chapter I examines the purpose and historical…

A survey was conducted to evaluate nationally the retention of undergraduates at institutions of higher education. In particular the survey sought to: determine the rates at which full-time students persisted in and completed higher education; identify factors that institutional representatives felt influence students to leave school; and describe…

This study focuses on school system characteristics that affect the dropout rate in the Chicago public high schools. Although the primary variable for investigation is attendance rate, other school system variables examined include type of school, percentage of low-income students in a school, and the overall level of student ability for a school…

This study analyzed institutional factors that significantly affect cohort default rates at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and assessed the potential for reducing these rates. It has been hypothesized that the HBCUs most successful in lowering student cohort default rates are those that have also succeeded in increasing…

This study describes the use of event history modeling as a tool for understanding student departure from college. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics High School and Beyond (HS&B)/Sophomore Cohort longitudinal study a detailed history of individual students' college careers was constructed using a regression-like…

Practices of attendance, suspension, and non-promotion in middle schools in Boston (Massachusetts) encourage at-risk students to drop out. School policies and practices, student data, and interviews with at-risk students were reviewed to determine which practices encourage disengagement from school. Personal narratives are included. Major findings…