A study examined the academic success and retention of 442 first-year, African-American college students at a historically Black, private, liberal arts college. During their first week on campus, students were surveyed about their preparation and readiness for college. Stepwise regression analysis found that both cognitive and noncognitive…

Students in gateway business, math, and science courses at Northern Arizona University receive non-passing grades (grades of D, F, and W) at high rates. To identify possible trends in demographic groups that receive DFWs and to investigate why students receive DFWs in these courses, a student survey was administered to 719 students in 7 gateway…

For almost 50 years, ACT has played a pivotal role in promoting student access into and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Through academic and career assessments, career development tools, and extensive research, they have helped inform students, parents, teachers, career counselors, employers, and…

The New England Student Success Study includes the results of survey of 350 low-income 4-year college students and in-depth interviews with low-income and minority students enrolled in 4-year institutions in the region combined with national data from the U.S. Department of Education. Four areas were of particular interest: (1) precollege…

Based on the preliminary results of research conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education and Stanford's Bridge Project, authors suggest several ways that K-12 schools and postsecondary education could integrate policies and data to improve student academic opportunities and success from kindergarten to college graduate 16 years…

The 2005 "Community College Survey of Student Engagement," entitled "Engaging Students, Challenging the Odds" reflects responses from 133,281 students attending 257 colleges in 38 states. It gathers objective and relevant data about students' experiences at their colleges and presents this data to community colleges so they can better understand…

This study analyzed the academic and demographic characteristics of 2,939 students admitted to the University of Louisville (Kentucky) Preparatory Division (an academic/enrollment unit for all students initially inadmissible to a degree-granting unit) who achieved eligibility to transfer to a degree-granting unit of the University. It also…

State-level or system-level higher education initiatives targeted at minorities are summarized, based on the responses of 33 states to a survey conducted by the State Higher Education Executive Officers and the Education Commission of the States. The initiatives described cover a spectrum of targeted programs from early intervention in the schools…

This paper examines and refutes the hypothesis that white, male, middle class college students are falling behind their female peers in higher education. After an introduction, the paper focuses on gender gaps in the educational pipeline, discussing several indicators that could be used to measure educational attainment. These include high school…

This research note describes data on college persistence, educational attainment, and remediation, and explains the difficulty in interpreting this data.

This research describes data on college persistence, educational attainment, and remediation, and explains the difficulty in interpreting this data.

A 3-institution study investigated the effectiveness of transfer of 1,786 Los Rios Community College students to the University of California at Davis and California State University at Sacramento, measured by student preparation, persistence, and performance before and after transfer. Need for remediation. before transfer was also examined.…

Equalizing college opportunities for the poor requires more fundamental, complementary strategies than just improving financial aid. There appear to be huge and growing disparities in the capacity of elementary/secondary school systems to prepare youth for the world beyond high school. Colleges cannot redress these inequities alone but must…

Five hundred incoming students attending Mount Saint Vincent University (Nova Scotia) were selected to participate in a study designed to compare the expectations and experiences of traditional students (who entered immediately after high school or transferred from another university or college) and nontraditional students (who entered part-time…

The "Guided Studies" program at a comprehensive community college was evaluated. The program was designed to restrict student course enrollment until academic deficiencies could be erased through successful completion of courses in developmental education. The persistence rates and academic performance of students placed in the program…