As one report in a comprehensive study of Illinois state mandates for elementary and secondary education, this study covers the three major areas in the Illinois compulsory attendance law: students' entrance age, their exit age, and the schools' obligation to enfore truancy regulations. After brief histories of compulsory attendance laws in the…

Assuming that the holding power of a junior college is one of the significant indices of its effectiveness, this paper reviews descriptive and inferential data on student attrition. Included are dropout statistics, reported reasons for leaving college, and personality characteristics of dropouts versus persisters. Comparisons between numbers of…

This report describes the study, its findings relative to recidivism and school withdrawal, the implications of the findings for planning preventive intervention services, and the implications of the findings for further research. (Author)

Explores self-esteem in a group of recent school-leavers (N=3,066). Results indicate that self-esteem was significantly lower in economically underemployed groups, relative to the adequately employed, after controlling for early self-esteem and other factors. No differences in self-esteem emerged among the economically underemployed groups. (RJM)

Investigated the timing of dropout by college students over a 5-year period. Found that factors that affect student dropout often have effects that change over time. For instance, students who receive financial aid generally have lower dropout rates than non-aided students, but dropout rates vary depending on the amount and timing of student…

A survey at Edge Hill College of Higher Education in Canada, designed to be part of the mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the quality of the student experience, revealed that key factors influencing withdrawal were: course not as expected, traveling difficulties, institution not as expected, domestic difficulties, and financial difficulties.…

Oregon's accounting system to identify early school leavers is described in this document. The system provides a uniform process for identifying students in grades 7-12 who leave school prior to completion of a high school degree or equivalent studies. Included are sample forms and instructions for completion, a description of the state Department…

This study determined the reasons that students who were classified as sophomores and juniors in the spring 1972 semester failed to return to Indiana University at South Bend for the fall 1973 semester. A review of the literature and a survey adapted from one used by Grossman College indicates: (1) Recreational facilities and vocational and…

After finding conflicting conclusions from studies of nursing school dropouts, the authors examined attrition in the baccalaureate nursing program for registered nurses at California State College, Sonoma. Types of withdrawal categories, differences in commitment, and how some students adjusted are described. (MF)

Tracked the college careers of 378 students who entered college through a special program for academically underprepared students. Results indicated that students' academic self-concept and achievement expectancies were related to their subsequent school withdrawal. Found differences in the relationship between attitudes and school withdrawal of…

A study was conducted at Minneapolis Community College to determine the point at which students dropped out of classes during fall quarter 1981 and to consider whether counseling interventions at any particular point during the quarter could reduce student attrition. A sample of 71 classes (20% of the classes offered) was taken, and instructors…

Fluctuations in financial and enrollment conditions have caused the faculty at Cerritos College (California) to be periodically subjected to intense pressure and to be held responsible for high student withdrawal rates, alternating with periods of administrative indifference. Concomitantly, college policy on non-punitive student course withdrawal…

Offers an economics/business-management perspective on student attrition, focusing on the external macro-environment (including such factors as government funding of education, changing enrollment patterns, and the increased number of postsecondary institutions) and the internal micro-environment (exhibiting characteristics of intangibility,…

A study of financial aid and persisters, dropouts, and stopouts at California State College, Bakersfield analyzed the relationship of 14 student variables (admissions eligibility index, degree objective, sex, age, ethnicity, Pell Grant eligibility, residence, scholarship award, grant award, loan awards, work-study award, financial need, marital…

Statistics on the drop-add tendencies of undergraduates at Clemson University were compiled. Three semesters were compared collectively, and it was discovered that numerous students had dropped at least one course in two of the three semesters and others in all three semesters. Profiles were built on these two groups. (MLW)