A 1991 study of non-returning students at Del Mar College (DMC), in Corpus Christi, Texas, revealed that only 37.9% of these students were actual dropouts (i.e., had failed to accomplish their educational goals, and had no plans to take up further study). Retention studies conducted in Texas between 1985 and 1989 have shown that DMC has…

Focusing on the problems of attrition and retention in community colleges, this paper reviews the literature dealing with the causes of attrition, describes promising practices which attempt to deal with the problem, and offers recommendations to enhance retention. First, the characteristics of students likely to drop out of college are described…

Six articles on recruitment and retention of black students are presented that cite dropping out as the factor most responsible for significantly impeding minority access to and successful progress in the collegiate experience. Increasingly, retention is becoming the ultimate yardstick for measuring institutional effectiveness, which translates…

Student recruitment and retention at small colleges are considered, and Brunswick Foundation's Small College Program is described. An overview considers problems of small colleges (those with enrollments of 2,000 and less), and the Foundations's approach to meeting the needs of small colleges. The Foundation's Small College Program, which provides…

The Career Intern Program (CIP), inititated by the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America (OIC/A) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1972, is an alternative high school for dropouts and potential dropouts and for youth who are otherwise educationally and economically disadvantaged and unemployable. CIP operates with the endoresment of,…

Migrant student enrollment declines steadily in junior high school as a result of low achievement, poor self-esteem, social isolation, late enrollment/early withdrawal policies, and school attitude toward migrant students. Parents, educators, and 237 junior high school migrant students from Arizona, Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Texas, and…

A project was conducted to identify and evaluate available microcomputer software for use in helping limited English-proficient (LEP) and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) vocational students to develop career awareness and basic and employability skills. During the project, a literature review was completed in order to identify the special needs…

A study was conducted at Morton College (Illinois) to develop a profile of students who applied to the college, but did not register for classes. A sample of 445 potential students who participated in the college's placement testing program for the fall 1984 semester completed the First-Time Student Questionnaire, which asked for information…

School dropouts not only limit the potential of their own lives but have a negative impact on society. This paper provides a brief description of efforts at Federal, State and local school dsitrict levels in the area of dropout prevention. An overview is given of financial assistance that has been made available through the Elementary and…

This report reviews the literature concerning the causes of student attrition for both the community college and the four-year institution. These causes can be grouped as self-related and college-related. Self-related factors involve actual and perceived ability, background and motivation for college, family influences and expectations, and…

Assesses the applicability of several related models of student retention/attrition to community colleges. Presents the results of a longitudinal study of freshman-year retention and performance, revealing that certain pre-enrollment variables coupled with first-semester academic performance data can help institutions identify potential dropouts.…

Considers different types of general purpose software being adapted by educators for use with at-risk students. Surveys software on basic skills, creativity and thinking skills, videodisks, and administrative packages. Includes a directory of products designed specifically for at-risk students. (MVL)

Data on 8,800 tenth grade students were analyzed to evaluate effectiveness of exceptional education programs on dropout prevention. Compared to the general education program, the holding power of the specific learning disabilities program was lower, the gifted program was higher, and the emotionally handicapped and educable mentally handicapped…

Researchers investigated whether enrollment in high school vocational/business courses had more holding power than personal, social factors, using High School and Beyond survey data to examine 12 variables. Peer interest, sense of social belonging, and relationships with school staff differentially related to persistence, but participation in…

Chicano student achievement remains low at virtually all stages of the educational pipeline but the low rates of postsecondary matriculation and persistence are especially alarming. Tinto (1993) has described student persistence in higher education as a longitudinal process of interaction between an individual student and his/her institutional…