The third in a series of international conferences on measuring quality in post-secondary education was held to design four proposed project briefs, to identify new areas of collaboration, to encourage participation in the current projects, and to promote continued dialogue and exchange on the projects. Each of four working groups addressed one of…

A study was conducted to compare the attrition rates at Vancouver Community College (VCC) with those of other British Columbia two-year institutions; to determine the effects of factors such as program duration and employment outlook on attrition; and to identify ways of minimizing the negative effects of attrition. Outcomes factors were…

Why is it that fewer girls than boys enter and stay in school? What may be done to further increase the school enrollment of girls in developing countries? The answers to these questions constitute the central focus of this paper. It first documents sex differences in primary school participation and wastage rates in developing countries.…

Statistics and other information about dropout rates and characteristics at Britain's Open University are summarized and presented in question and answer form as a basis for informed discussion of the institution's dropout problem. Factors in dropping out (course, environment, motivation, other), dropout characteristics, course and discipline…

Reports on current educational issues in Quebec (Canada). Briefly covers some of the major issues addressed in the Estates General, the commission study on the future of education in Quebec. A Montreal School commissioner challenged the government's numbers concerning dropouts. Decentralization, whole language learning, and school rankings also…

Statistical evidence, 1980-95, on Scottish secondary students' attainment, achievement, rates of staying on in postcompulsory education, and rates of entering higher education indicates sharp reductions in differences between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Improved access to expanded curricula has been supported by a deeply embedded social…

The main purpose of this study is to provide those concerned with planning and administration of education in Saudi Arabia with a deeper insight into the elementary education system by analyzing the growth patterns observed in the past, presenting a more vivid picture of the present situation, and projecting the probable quantitative expansion in…

Describes a survey of 724 management students in New Zealand's Technical Correspondence Institute which was conducted to determine whether the introduction of educational technologies could decrease the dropout rate. The multiple linear regression model that was used to analyze the questionnaire responses is presented, and predictor variables are…

Examines changes in the characteristics and outcomes of school dropouts in Australia during the 1980s. Schools recruited more broadly among females during this period, which weakened the association between dropping out and social background. For males, social differences remained entrenched. Both genders experienced steep increases in…

The first of two papers in this publication is "Teaching by Satellite in a European Virtual Classroom" (Desmond Keegan). It describes the first accredited university course by satellite, a 1-year certificate course in safety and health at work offered by the University College Dublin. It discusses the enrollment of 219 students at 10…

The issue of grade retention and social promotion is still a very controversial topic. The empirical literature assessing the effectiveness of nonpromotion remains mixed. Nonpromotion seems most effective with students in white, suburban, and middle-class school districts. This paper describes a 4-year follow-up to an earlier controlled study by…

A study examined the success of the first three years of the Dutch Open University's operation by analyzing data pertaining to students' backgrounds and academic progress while enrolled in the open university. The fact that registered inquiries about the Dutch Open University rose from 120,000 during the summer and autumn of 1984 to more than…

The United States' economic performance in the world economy is compared with that of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom (the Summit 7 countries). Competitiveness is assessed by four economic indicators: standard of living, trade, manufacturing productivity, and investment. The United States continues to outinvest the…

The purpose of this study was to find out why a significant percentage of students drop out of the Nigerian school system every year. While statistics for dropouts in developed countries are based on those who fail to continue with their secondary education, dropouts in developing nations like Nigeria are counted as the number that dropped out of…

Educational planners are concerned with the inflow of pupils in order to plan for adequate facilities and sufficient teachers. Statistics on repeaters, however, enable the determination of the flow of pupils through and from the educational system. Since repeaters cost educational systems double in the form of expenses for teachers and equipment,…