Intended as a resource to help decrease student withdrawal and increase student success at California's Santa Monica College, this report presents results from a study of student withdrawal and success rates for 8 sessions, from winter 1994 through fall 1994. Following an overview of the project and general observations based on findings, tables…

In the Cleveland (Ohio) Public Schools, the percent of students who are retained in grade, or who are not promoted, is high. At the high school level, retention rates ranged from 9 percent to 47 percent in the 1988-89 school year. School characteristics that correlate with the rate of retention are studied in an attempt to understand some of the…

In 1986, the New York City Public Schools adopted a cohort methodology for determining dropout and graduation rates. The Class of 1990 was the primary cohort studied in this report; it was the fifth cohort to be studied for at least 4 years using this methodology. Follow-ups are reported for three preceding classes. The 1990 cohort, who entered…

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…

In an effort to identify the kinds of vocational experiences that appear to be the most promising in reducing the dropout rate, two distinct research strategies were used. The first strategy involved analysis of data available from the High School and Beyond Project, a nationally representative sample of students and schools surveyed in 1980 (when…

Discusses concern generated among Arizona tribal leaders by education reform measures. Reviews trends in Indian education including dropout rates, lags in academic achievement, and university retention and graduation rates. Illustrates mechanisms through which universities can implement effective schooling for Indians at local levels. (NEC)

According to this literature review, school practices such as placement of at-risk students in alternative, nontraditional programs, individualized counseling, low student-teacher ratio, heavy vocational emphasis, and peer tutoring successfully lower dropout rates, whereas remediation, retention in grade, tracking, and suspension only exacerbate…

For more than thirty years, researchers have been interested in the issue of student retention in college. This study found that students who highly valued financial success were less likely to continue at the same institution from their first to their second year of college and were more likely to drop out of college than students who valued…

The author of this article contends that the U.S. government, in conjunction with public and private sectors, are failing American society by failing the vast majority of America's urban youth. This failure is seen in America's public inner city schools where the numbers of students graduating from high school vs. the number of students…

There has been very little previous evaluation research that examines the effects of interventions on persistence.

This paper demonstrates the analytical importance of employing output-based measures of school quality. The empirical analysis employs data collected in a longitudinal survey of primary school students in Egypt during 2 academic years, 1978-79 and 1979-80. School quality and grade completion are shown to be directly linked, leading to very…

A nationally standardized dropout definition will be of little practical value unless it can be related to the structure, practices, and processes of a given school. A proposed measure of school completion and school leaving called the High School Holding Power Index is described. The index is built on these assumptions: (1) there is a…

A study examined dropout data from the 1980 Census and the October 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1985 federal population surveys to assess differences in the dropout and delayed schooling rates for males and females; Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics; and various age groups from 16 to 34. Principal findings include the following: the dropout rate for all…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, the National Center for Education Statistics undertook a study of dropouts in higher education. Specifically, the study was designed to discover: (1) to what extent students withdraw from institutions of higher education before completion, and how these rates might…

A study was conducted in the Allied Health Division (AHD) at Spartanburg Technical College to determine the effects of an Orientation-Advising (O-A) Program on the rate of student attrition. The O-A Program consisted of one all-day orientation and advising session, and individual advising sessions with counselors and faculty members throughout the…