Preventing youth from dropping out of school is an enormous challenge for school systems, especially students who display aggressive behaviors at school. While many aspects of managing student behavior in the classroom are challenging, chronic and severe aggressive behaviors are most difficult to manage. The aggressive student is often…

Integrates existing literature with the authors' research that examines resiliency (students in danger of dropping out of school who are able to develop stable, healthy personas and are able to recover from or adapt to life's stresses or problems). Suggests a model to explain resiliency that can be used to better understand why these students have…

"Project 'Graduation Really Achieves Dreams'" ("GRAD") is an initiative for students in economically disadvantaged communities that aims to reduce dropping out and increase rates of college enrollment and graduation by increasing reading and math skills, improving behavior in school, and providing a service safety net. At the…

Examined the differences between the home environment and college environment and the personal and academic characteristics of persisting (N=201) and nonpersisting (N=165) students at a major midwestern university. Develops recommendations and guidelines for colleges and universities to help curtail the college dropout problem. (PAS)

Chronicles the 5-year effort of a comprehensive student development and advising center to identify the most effective support programs for increasing one-year retention rates for first-time freshmen. The progression from intrusive advising programs to integrated and systematic learning skills instruction resulted in substantial gains in…

This literature review demonstrates that dropouts follow a similar though inverse path compared to students who have attained academic excellence. Descriptions of at-risk students' characteristics lead to a discussion of the "loser's circle" of dropping out and strategies for attaining a "winner's circle" of academic excellence. (71 references)…

A University of North Carolina (Charlotte) program provides tutorial services to students in certain high-risk courses. Participants from 1988-89 earned higher final grades and had fewer lower grades and withdrawals than nonparticipants, despite lower predicted academic potential and industriousness at the time of college entry. (Author/MSE)

Describes the evaluation of four different retention programs implemented at the University of Southern Maine. Data from student surveys, student test scores and grades, and program cost figures indicated that the two learning community programs were more effective than the non-learning community programs. Investment in learning communities made…

The factors that contribute to student dropouts have been the focus of extensive deliberation during the last decade. Despite expanded attention, the number of dropouts remains unacceptably high. Drawing on the authors' 17-year history of dropout research in Texas, Arizona, and across the country, this article describes the alarming dropout rates,…

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 project investigated the learning support needs of post-secondary Australian students with a psychiatric disability for the purpose of maximizing student retention. Fifteen focus groups were held throughout Australia with students, prospective students, teachers, support staff, and management. In addition, three surveys were completed by 256…

Studies social personality types and assesses the relationship of Holland's secondary construct of consistency to persistence in college and academic achievement. Results indicated that, for both persisters and nonpersisters in college, subjects with higher levels of consistency achieve higher college grade point averages than subjects with lower…

California's Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program, based at the University of California at Berkeley, administers Minority Engineering Programs on 18 public and private college and university campuses. The programs have been successful in raising retention rates among underrepresented minority groups, and are being…

Discussion of student retention at community colleges identifies reasons for student failure and withdrawal, concluding that many students leave school for reasons such as emotional problems, poor motivation, and financial problems over which instructors have no control. Suggests too much emphasis on retaining ill-prepared students detracts from…

Many developmental educators have been assigned increased responsibilities for campus-wide enrollment management activities. A new system is needed for educators to more accurately sort through the rapidly growing database of information related to student retention. This will enable the reader to more quickly identify promising practices for…