The recent report of the Grant Foundation Commission on Youth and America's Future, "The Forgotten Half," concerning the high school graduates who do not go to college is discussed, focusing on the value society places on a college education. (MSE)

A study examined the health service use of 5,088 West Virginia University freshmen and compared the use patterns of students who returned the next fall with those who did not return. Nonreturning students had a higher usage rate and were significantly different in the types of services needed. The influence of student health problems on attrition…

Describes the psychological processes that lead to academic and social integration based on a retention model proposed by the authors. Describes how successful retention programs such as learning communities, freshman interest groups, tutoring, and orientation rely on psychological processes. Four psychological theories form the basis for…

A unilateral decision was made by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Office of Academic Outreach and Support, and the Office of Academic Support and Retention (AS&R) to implement a pilot initiative for reporting, monitoring, and tracking excessive absenteeism during the Spring semester 2003. A…

This study uses nationally representative data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 to show that information about postsecondary educational institutions (PEIs), guidance, and essential preparatory actions taken by secondary students influence whether an individual will attend a PEI within 2 years of high school graduation, and,…

This paper presents a study designed to determine the reason first and post-first year students (N=61) chose to leave Chicago Urban University (CUU) prior to graduation. Data were sought from a random sample of 100 students via either a mailed or a telephone survey, with a 61% response rate. The 54-question interview/survey instrument examined the…

This 1991-92 report for correctional education in Canada provides analysis as well as statistical information for education programs provided during the fiscal year. A national overview contains data dealing with effectiveness based on participation, efficiency based on student/teacher ratio, and efficiency based on cost per full-time equivalent…

Withdrawing, continuing, and nonreturning undergraduates at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) were compared. Nonreturning students were nongraduating students who completed course requirements but did not return the following semester (25 spring nonreturning students and 47 fall nonreturning students). Data were also collected…

A sample of students were surveyed who were enrolled at the University of Washington during the autumn quarter of 1977 but did not continue at the university the following quarter. Survey items included: reasons for not continuing, occupational status as of spring 1978, effect of not continuing on present occupation and plans for the future,…

The determinants of student attrition in institutions of higher education were investigated. A causal model was developed which synthesized research findings on turnover in work organizations and on student attrition. Questionnaires were distributed to university freshmen (N=1171). The data was analyzed using multiple regression and path analysis.…

As the first in a planned longitudinal series, this study examined the academic performance in the initial undergraduate year of a stratified, random sample of 100 students from Vancouver secondary schools who enrolled in September 1976 in a full-time academic program at the Langara Campus of Vancouver Community College (VCC), and measured it…

A study of income flow patterns and individual decisions to undertake college-level study suggests that perceived income and other labor market prospects influence student decisions but vary with age and discipline. Although females perceive lower income, that lower income does not statistically affect the decision to attend college. (MSE)

A career framework is used to investigate the socially constructed knowledge that students use to make decisions concerning their preferences for further schooling. The decision-making process of students reveals attempts to assess the costs and benefits of the school experience for the maintenance of desirable self conceptions. (Author/MLW)

Path analysis was used to examine the process of persistence in higher education among a sample of low-income Black youth attending a variety of institutions. The model explores the role of college experiences--academic and social integration and academic achievement. (Author/MLW)

This study examines within-year persistence of undergraduate white and African American college students, focusing on how this information can be used to inform initiatives on retention. Data was collected from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1996; the sample included 1,482 African American and 11,292 white four-year undergraduate…