This book provides a synthesis of wide-ranging research on student attrition at American colleges and universities and outlines actions that institutions can and should take to reduce attrition. The key to effective retention is shown to lie in a strong commitment to quality education and the building of a strong sense of inclusive educational and…

Specific access and retention studies and programs focused on minority students at the undergraduate level are reviewed, along with recent research on general retention efforts. General retention strategies concern: pre-enrollment, admissions, financial aid, orientation, academic programs, faculty-student interaction, counseling and advising,…

The 1980-1981 project sought to extend the dropout prediction methods used previously by using a broader sample and to examine the effectiveness of counseling in dropout prevention. Over 1,200 migrant students in 35 Texas Coastal Bend school districts completed a survey regarding school attitudes, family problems, school participation, financial…

The conference summarized here brought together participants from 12 public school districts and 34 observers from government agencies, foundations and community organizations. The attendees addressed the concern that the reform agenda of American public schooling is insufficiently sensitive to needy children who have dropped out of school or who…

Educational practices in tracking and ability grouping are reviewed, and it is suggested that cooperative learning strategies are effective alternatives for students who need preparation for the challenges of citizenship in the future. Research studies have given rise to many criticisms of tracking, particularly as it relates to minorities,…

Reasons why some students complete further education (FE) and others drop-out were examined in a study involving a sample of 9,000 students and staff from 31 inner city, urban, and rural FE colleges throughout the United Kingdom. Data were collected from the following sources: interviews with FE college managers, staff, and students; review of…

During spring 1991, a study was conducted at San Diego City College (SDCC) in California to explore the various factors which motivate students to drop out, propose remediation strategies based on the research findings, and suggest further studies to identify and analyze problem areas more explicitly. To examine students' reasons for dropping out,…

Drawing from a review of the literature on issues related to student retention and attrition, and research on student attitudes toward the Community College of Denver (CCD), this report suggests four models for student retention programs for different two-year college student groups. Following introductory material on the project, a literature…

An evaluation of the Nuclear Skill Related Training Program at Memphis State University was conducted to identify possible motivational and attitudinal variables that may contribute to the retention-attrition rates of Job Corps students (40 percent) admitted to the program compared to non-Job Corps students who are migrant workers (2 percent). The…

In an effort to develop early intervention strategies to increase student persistence, a study was conducted at Allegany Community College (ACC) in Cumberland, Maryland, of the common characteristics of withdrawing students. Student records were examined for the 84 students (out of a total of 2,999 enrolled) who withdrew in the first 3 weeks of…

This evaluation report of an attendance project in Portland, Oregon, public schools describes goals, methods, and results for 1985-86. The introduction states objectives of identifying, contacting, and counseling students leaving school or attending irregularly, with the purpose of guiding them into school or alternative educational programs. A…

Students failing to master minimum competency tests are categorized as dropouts in this description of the results of and remediation efforts for the statewide Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) Testing Program. TEAMS assesses minimum competency in basic skills at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11-12 exit level. The first…

In April 1981, the Black Advisory Committee of Valencia Community College (VCC) recommended the implementation of a Black Student Retention Pilot Project to study reasons for the attrition of black students at the college; to identify factors positively affecting student retention; and to develop a computerized system to monitor black student…

A consortium program of eight private colleges in Southern California that focuses on student retention efforts is described. Each college has a retention task force consisting of faculty, administrators, student affairs staff, and students. A steering committee with one representative from each college, generally the dean of students, coordinates…

A review of literature from the early sixties to the present provides an understanding of problems posed by potential dropouts (disadvantaged learners) and some potential solutions to those problems. The first section describes who potential dropouts are and why they are disadvantaged; how they can be identified; some remedial projects already…