A preliminary summary is presented of a national survey, entitled "What Works in Student Retention," conducted in spring 1979 by the American College Testing (ACT) Program and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. The purpose of the survey was to identify, analyze, and compile information about campus action programs and…

The primary purposes of this project were to provide data for developing operational proposals and programs for dealing with the dropout problem. Information and statistics were gathered about school dropouts in St. Cloud, Minnesota; age and grade, type of student, current functioning and future plans, expressed reasons for leaving, etiological…

School dropouts occur most often among boys in the 10th grade of academic courses. Evidence suggests that they and others who finish high school would have had more personal satisfaction and value from a vocational-technical curriculum. Occupational preparation, if provided in schools, can make students ready for successful introduction to…

During the school year 1969-1970 Quincy Public Schools in Massachusetts, a community of 90,000 adjacent to Boston, conducted an intensive investigation of all students leaving school for reasons other than transfer to another educational institution and death. Interviews with these students, their parents and an exhaustive analysis of school…

Colleges and universities are increasingly committed to achieving enrollment stability through raising student retention rates. The student retention model is designed to guide institutions toward enhancing both involvement and institutional fit for as many students as feasible, thereby increasing student retention. (MLW)

Salient findings of six studies assessing the construct validity of Tinto's model of college student attrition are described. The studies are based on three independent data collections over a three-year period and indicate the students' informal contacts with faculty are consistently related to subsequent persistence/withdrawal decisions.…

Most discussions about at-risk students focus on remedying deficiencies in basic skills, often narrowly defined as English literacy and ability to perform mathematical computations. Omitting appealing subjects from a "streamlined" curriculum will only worsen the situation. Through careful planning, administrators can add the power of music to…

Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Graduate Scholars Program for minority students is supported by systems that create a social-psychological "comfort zone" for participating graduate students. The program encourages interdisciplinary cooperation and a balance between the disparate concerns and perspectives of the student and…

Addresses issues related to high dropout rates of Black college students, including those at historically black institutions. Finds a gap in services once students reach college and describes proposed federal legislation (the William H. Grant III College Completion Challenge Grant Program of 1999) which would offer institutions grants to develop…

Reports that anecdotal evidence and studies by individual institutions suggest that course completion and program retention rates are generally lower in distance education courses than in their face-to-face counterparts. Suggests some of the causes may be that distance students are often older, have more obligations, or that lack of face-to-face…

This article draws attention to local and global attendance monitoring in higher education. The paper outlines benefits of attendance monitoring for both the individual learner and university, and compares traditional paper-based attendance monitoring systems with an electronic system piloted in the Business School and School of Technology at the…

This paper reports the results of a telephone survey of 151 undergraduates who withdrew in their first year of study at a post-1992 institution. It focuses on the negative experiences which they reported during their time at the university and the ultimate reasons for leaving, exploring in particular issues around choice of course, academic…

As a nation, Kenya hopes to achieve Education for All (EFA) by the year 2015. This is an uphill task given the various challenges in the education sector. The year 2015 is also significant globally because it is the target year for the fulfillment of the eight-millennium goals. Kenya looks forward to have her people achieve the millennium goals…

Mississippi loses up to one-third of its potential high school graduates between grades 9 and 12. Developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for student recruitment are the first and most important steps in organizing an adult basic education program to serve the needs of these individuals. Recruitment requires trying as many methods as…

Vocational education is one of the strategies most frequently cited as a dropout prevention measure, and some schools can document such program outcomes as increased student attendance, retention, and graduation rates. Disadvantaged youth who take vocational courses are less likely to be unemployed and more likely to obtain better-paying jobs.…