This meta-analytic path analysis presents evidence that first-year academic performance (FYAP), measured by first-year grade point average (FYGPA) plays the major role in determining second-year student retention and that socioeconomic status (SES), measured by parental income, plays a negligible role. Based on large sample data used in a previous…

In South Africa, the educational attainment of African children has been a focal point of policy and research since the end of apartheid in 1994. Individual and policy-level determinants of child development and educational outcomes have been exhaustively investigated. A less researched perspective is the role of community and household…

This "First Look" report presents selected findings about the repayment of federal student loans using data from the 2015 Federal Student Aid Supplements to two Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Studies (BPS) administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The report examines two cohorts of borrowers:…

This article contributes to the empirical literature on remediation in community colleges by using policy variation across North Carolina's community colleges to examine how remediation affects various outcomes for traditional-age college students. We find that being required to take a remedial course (as we define it in this article) either in…

Throughout much of the 20th century, the United States led the world in educational attainment and, in turn, economic and social progress. But that advantage has been slipping in recent decades, prompting the president and a host of governors and philanthropic leaders to set goals for America to reclaim its place as the world leader in the…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore salient nonacademic factors related to social, economic, and cultural aspects together with traditional academic factors that influenced college retention. The study design employed a mixed-methods sequential explanatory method design, collecting quantitative data for correlation and…

While college campuses nationwide continue to grow in diversity with increased enrollment of students from minority backgrounds, national patterns continue to reveal educational inequities in the retention rates of racial/ethnic minorities. Additionally, socioeconomic factors of family income and parental educational level further complicate…

Adult women's decisions to attend college and persist toward degree attainment are likely influenced by family members from both family of origin and current family. This study was designed to examine (a) rated support of family members within the family of origin and current family to attend and persist in college, (b) specific attitudes of both…

This study examines the relationship between scores on the SAT and retention to the second year of college using student level data from the freshman class of 2006 at 106 four-year institutions. Results indicate that the SAT predicts second-year retention, with 95.5 percent of high performers returning but only 63.8 percent of low performers.…

In 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) with the primary goal of increasing the opportunity for underserved students to earn a postsecondary credential. To achieve this goal, Early Colleges provide underserved students with exposure to, and support in, college while they are in…

The purpose of this study was to gather more information about the influence of beginning higher education at a two-year college versus beginning at a four-year college on a student's educational achievement. The three outcomes of interest were: (1) whether a student remains continuously enrolled throughout college; (2) total number of college…

The authors first examine the effect of failing the 10th grade mathematics examination. They then investigate students who fail their 10th grade test, examining their persistence and success on retests. Finally, they examine the effects of student performance on the 8th grade mathematics test. In all cases, the authors pay particular attention to…

Inspired by the 1990 Jomtien World Conference on Education for All and by the experience of non-governmental organisations such as BRAC, Save the Children/USA established a community schools project in southern Mali, working with 777 villages to establish and run their own primary schools between 1992 and 1998. These schools enrolled over 45,000…

This study utilized data from the "NCES Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS 96/01)" to explore the 6-year persistence status of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) students seeking the bachelor's degree at four-year institutions irrespective of whether they had remained at their initial institution, transferred, temporarily…