A study tracked 3,192 University of Iowa freshmen through their first year and into their second year on campus. Logistic regression analyses using multiple data sources (admissions and registrar files, a standardized entrance test (the American College Testing Program Assessment) student profile section, an entering freshman survey) were…

An educator participating in a community college Puente class as both participant and observer analyzes the structure and experience of one writing assignment representative of the program's objectives. The Puente program combines teaching, counseling, and mentoring to California community college students as a means of promoting learning,…

An annotated bibliography of 105 publications (1961-1982) on the retention of black college students is presented. Topics include: retention programs for low income and minority undergraduates; the interrelatedness of curriculum and cultural/economic reproduction; predicting academic performance in college; dropout prevention and reasons…

Issues pertaining to the retention of black students, particularly those attending predominantly white colleges and universities, are reviewed, based on a survey of the literature. Three categories of concerns were found in the literature: ways of conceiving black student retention; factors affecting retention; and strategies and remedies to…

Arguing that educational disadvantage, underachievement, and dropping out are problems that originate with schools as well as students, this document describes the Work and Learning Center in Madison, Wisconsin, that was designed to meet the needs of high school dropouts. The first section gives disadvantaged students' perspectives on the school…

The Supplemental Instruction (SI) program of the University of Missouri-Kansas City addresses attrition by providing academic support in courses that are high risk for students. The program contains a number of innovative features, for example: high risk courses are identified instead of high risk students, and everyone in those courses is offered…

A study was conducted to determine whether there is an identifiable coping personality related to academic achievement and retention for black college students. Low coping students were also taught coping strategies to determine whether mastering academic requirements facilitates achievement and persistence. The relationship of black student…

The interrelation of enrollment, marketing, and retention, and implications for enrollment management planning at the postsecondary level are considered. Factors that will likely affect enrollment in the 1980s include sources of support for private institutions; increased federal controls, including legislation for veterans and financial aid; and…

Advocates an intrusive advising stance and proactive teaching approach on the part of selected African-American and white faculty members as part of programs to retain disadvantaged African-American students in college. Meeting the political and organizational challenges of retaining disadvantaged African-American students is discussed. (SLD)

The trend toward increasing numbers of poorly prepared, high-risk college students requires a variety of strategies, including strengthened school-college collaboration and networking, taking a holistic approach to retention, attention to the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods, and hiring faculty committed to great teaching. (MSE)

Explores the concepts of risk and resilience applied to eighth graders and suggests advantages in considering a definition of risk grounded in actual school performance and behavior rather than to various group-level probabilities of failure. Evidence shows the importance of family supports, school responsiveness to students, and student…

Although attrition is repeatedly described as the number one problem in adult basic education (ABE), the raw numbers of attrition rates do not tell the whole story. Studies show noncompleters in both ABE and higher education sometimes leave when they feel their goals have been realized. Counting adults who "stop out" as dropouts is also…

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 paper addresses the notion that persons at risk of failure to achieve an adequate education are in that position partly because of their social circumstances, i.e., their ethnicity, culture, language, or economic status. It discusses the impact of culture on what one does and how one does it, addresses the manner in which culture frames as…

The design and features of a model minority retention program are discussed. Components of successful retention programs include: commitment to attract and retain minority students, ongoing sessions to sensitize the campus community to minority students, academic involvement, tenured minority faculty and staff, support services, and minority…