In spring 1988, a survey was conducted of students who attended St. Louis Community College (SLCC) in fall 1987, did not graduate, and did not return for the spring semester. A questionnaire was mailed to 20% (N=2,270) of the fall 1987 non-returning students, requesting information on educational goals, attainment of or progress toward these…

This report presents results of a study conducted to obtain information on student retention and attrition at Gainesville Junior College (GJC). After introductory material discusses the college's problems in the areas of recruitment and retention, section I presents findings from a study of 1,053 of the 1,689 students taking course work at GJC in…

An analysis is provided of student retention and attrition at Gainesville Junior College (GJC). Section I presents background information on the college's service area and the characteristics of its students. Section II presents results of a study of 1,590 of 1,762 students enrolled at GJC in fall 1983. This section examines: (1) retention rates…

Ten Texas community colleges participated in a fall, l976, college withdrawal survey, yielding a total of 1,102 responses. Students classified as "illegal/undefined" majors accounted for 32% of withdrawals, followed by "university transfer/academic" majors (27%), "undecided" (21%), and…

A review of research on student attrition suggests eight factors influencing students' decisions to remain in a course or in college that may respond to college, counselor, and teacher interventions. First, as low grades are consistently revealed as contributing to attrition, appropriate course placement, basic skills instruction, criterion-based…

Students who were enrolled at the Grand Valley State Colleges (GVSC) during fall 1977 but did not re-enroll winter 1978 were surveyed. The results showed that (1) 75 percent probably left for reasons the college could not expect to affect; (2) most complimented the college; (3) almost half had not expected to get a degree there to begin with; (4)…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to develop a profile of students who withdrew from courses between summer 1992 and spring 1994. Between 1992 and 1994, 13.7% of the 175,000 course enrollments resulted in official withdrawals, representing a 0.4% decrease in withdrawals from the 1990-1992 cohort. An analysis of these…

This study determined which of three types of educational barriers (institutional, situational, or dispositional) represented the major problem preventing adult students from completing their general educational development (GED) studies at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) in Pennsylvania. A Likert-type survey instrument was used to collect…

This report examines how successful America's high schools have been in raising high school graduation rates over the past decade and how severe the high school dropout problem actually is. It reviews existing empirical evidence on the school dropout problems of America's youth during the 1990s. It also presents evidence to support the view that…

This study examined why Australian high school students decided to continue or discontinue their schooling, using a comprehensive theoretical model to examine the issue. Three surveys of 817 tenth-grade students over a 13-month period indicated that the theoretical model adequately and appropriately explained and predicted students' persistence…

Discusses the drop out rate and the at-risk youth problem. Summarizes what some implemented federal and state programs are doing and what some will do. Lists goals of several states. (MVL)

Examines issues in the retention of African-American students in predominantly white institutions of higher learning. Factors affecting retention are cataloged, and the responsiveness of existing retention programs to these factors is analyzed. Focus on African-American students who do persist is needed to create a climate of inclusion. (SLD)

A study of graduate and professional student within-year persistence, based on the 1993 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, compared three models of the impact of financial aid on persistence. It was found that financial aid significantly and positively influenced within-year persistence, with comprehensive aid packages having the greatest…

A study of student failure or withdrawal from higher education in six institutions in northwestern England investigates the relative influence of 36 possible reasons for withdrawal. Respondents were 1083 full- and part-time students. Results for noncompletion, including institutional and student variables, and their cost to the public purse are…

Several studies recently conducted by the Federal government and private organizations have produced new information about dropouts. Findings from these studies are summarized so that parents can have up-to-date information when talking to their children about dropping out. Urban and minority students are more likely to drop out of school. The gap…