For an ethnographic study of the personal and educational needs of Hispanic and Anglo adolescent mothers and the services affecting their decision to remain in school, researchers interviewed eight teenage mothers--four in a special high school teen parents' program and four who had dropped out of the program. Two young women in each group were…

The incidence and causal factors of dropping out of school and grade repetition at the primary school level in the Nandi District of Kenya were examined. The study involved longitudinal analysis of primary school flow from 1976 to 1982 in five representative schools. Data were gathered through questionnaires and interviews with District Education…

Lowering dropout levels would not necessarily make society better off and, consequently, student aid policy should not be evaluated by its effects on dropout. Analysis of the model of postsecondary enrollment and completion developed in this paper results in two striking findings. First, making reduction of dropouts the policy goal yields the…

The report focuses attention on those areas of medical school education that may have a negative effect on women students' confidence and competence. It examines the different ways that male and female medical students experience their training and the particular stresses that women may face, including: role conflicts; questions about commitment;…

A study sought to determine the rate of retention of adult students in the University of Minnesota College Program for Individualized Learning (PIL) for the 1983-84 academic year, as well as factors that might relate to this retention rate. A review was made of the 67 applications submitted by students admitted to PIL during that year to determine…

This study was conducted to explore the economic and programmatic implications of school-year program attrition in secondary vocational programs in New Hampshire. The study included students who switched to other vocational programs as well as those who switched to a general academic or a college preparatory curriculum. Interviews were conducted,…

Ferris State University's (FSU's) Collegiate Skills Program assists academically underprepared students in their transition to college. The program was initiatied in fall 1985 in response to increasing numbers of entering freshmen with inadequate reading and writing skills and subsequent high rates of attrition. Focusing initially on students with…

This report analyzes the Participation and Equity Program's two objectives of reducing significantly the number of Australian students prematurely leaving full-time education and of fostering more equal education, and discusses strategies for achieving these objectives. Following a statement by the Minister of Education and Youth Affairs and an…

A survey of a sample of aid recipients at the University of Nebraska at Omaha showed that over 50 percent of those receiving only loans do not finish the semester. Grants in combination with loans had a slightly positive effect on persistence. (MSE)

Student departure is a long-standing problem to colleges and universities. Approximately 45 percent of students enrolled in two-year colleges depart during their first year, and approximately one out of four students departs from a four-year college or university. The authors advance a serious revision of Tinto's popular interactionalist theory to…

This study examined the persistence of and financial aid to needy students, underrepresented minority students, and women students, especially those majoring in science, engineering, and mathematics at a large public research university. An institutional student tracking and student financial aid database was used to follow four freshmen cohorts…

The 1996 RETAIN (Retention in Education for Today's American Indian Nations) Conference addressed the low number of Native Americans enrolled in higher education and highlighted successful Native American retention and academic support models. Lists important features in a college program and questions that students should ask about college…

Reports on a study of 14,249 students to determine whether participation in specific extracurricular activities (athletics and fine arts) significantly reduces a student's likelihood of dropping out. Finds that, when all activities are examined, only athletic participation remains significantly related to dropping out. (ACM)

Presents a case study of 13 tribal college students who either completed or dropped out of their programs. Identifies societal, organizational, institutional, family, and individual factors associated with these students' completion, including: (1) lack of money; (2) inadequate preparation; (3) health problems; and (4) housing problems. Contains…

Many stay-in-school programs support some individuals but do not serve the larger school population. This digest describes a project that would integrate an array of interventions for "at-risk" youth with planned organizational and curricular re-structuring activities. The project consists of 8 groups of 55 to 60 students. While the…