Although a basic premise of higher education is that students must take the primary responsibility for their own learning, problems arise when the focus throughout elementary and secondary schooling is on passive, rote learning with the student totally dependent on the teacher and text, as in Islamic schools. The educational shock experienced in…

Retention research and action programs are reviewed, and findings from the 1979 national survey entitled "What Works in Student Retention" (WWISR) are examined. The WWISR survey was designed to identify, analyze, and compile information about campus efforts to improve student retention in higher education. Questionnaires on retention were analyzed…

The need to examine college student attrition as an approach to the expected demographic decline in the 1980s, and case studies that demonstrate retention improvement and successful techniques are considered. Information is presented on the progress of typical freshmen (graduates, transfers, and dropouts) and patterns of interrupting studies.…

Barriers to minority group student success in medical education are outlined, including inadequate preparation in science and mathematics, inadequate advising, nonsupportive faculty, lack of minority mentors and role models, costs, and inadequate information about academic and financial aid options. (MSE)

Partnerships among elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educators in San Antonio (Texas) aim at improving high school and college retention, particularly for Hispanic students. Programs include curriculum development as early as kindergarten, high school junior and senior enrollment in college courses, minority achievement supports, and…

The number of American Indian and Alaska Native students who leave the Anchorage School District without graduating or transferring to another school system has shown a slight but steady decline since the completion of "Alaskan Native Early School Leavers Study" in May 1982. The reasons for students leaving school have remained much the…

Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, developed a course in practical writing skills for bilingual students as a means of reducing the dropout rate among vocational students, the largest group of Hispanic students in the institution. The objective was to provide writing skills through source materials with a…

America's economic future depends on the ability of educators to improve minority student retention and preparation. Demographic trends indicate that the economy will be dependent on the contributions of minority workers, who will comprise 60 percent of the labor force. Yet, school statistics indicate that 70 percent of Hispanic students and 28…

This bibliography update contains information on dropout attitudes, prevention, programs, rates, and research, as well as school-holding power at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Citations include conference papers, program descriptions, research reports, and statistical materials. Materials for inclusion in this bibliography were located…

Three papers pertaining to the General College Pilot Education Program (PEP), a retention effort undertaken by the General College, University of Minnesota, are presented. In "An Overview of the General College PEP Program in Its Second Year," C. P. Zanoni addresses the components of the program, evaluation efforts, and program costs.…

Results of participation in a Summer Bridge Program at the University of California, San Diego, in 1978 for 30 high-risk, minority group, and low-income students are discussed. The program is based on Tinto's (1975) theoretical synthesis of research on dropouts from higher education and is designed to increase a student's integration and…

The consequences of not graduating from high school are increasingly serious for both individuals and society as a whole. As a result, policymakers and the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have placed a new focus on increasing graduation rates and reducing dropout rates. While the dropout problem has generated research and new…

Using 437 interviews with apprentices and trainees, teachers/trainers, and supervisors/managers, a study explored retention in apprenticeships and traineeships and factors that influence it. Apprentices and trainees were more likely to complete their contract of training (COT) if they developed an interest in the occupation and had medium- and…

A literature review examined educational research on school reform and vocational and technical education. The first area examined student risk factors in education, the state of the art in secondary vocational education (career and technical education or CTE), and the interplay of these new forms of CTE and other comprehensive school reform…

This paper reviews the literature on student retention at urban colleges and explores notions of student involvement and academic and social integration especially in relation to nontraditional students. It describes some programmatic interventions designed to improve retention. The paper concludes that partnerships with public schools may have a…