In spring 1992, Charles County Community College (CCCC) conducted a telephone survey of non-returning fall 1991 students to determine their reasons for not returning to CCCC. In order to obtain comparison data, a questionnaire designed and administered by Prince George's Community College (PGCC) (Largo, Maryland) in 1988 was used with one minor…

This study used weekly conversations with 25 freshmen at Boise (Idaho) State University (BSU) and analyses of students' journal entries to examine reasons for BSU freshmen leaving school during or after their freshman year. The 13 students who were successful (reenrolled in the spring and following fall semesters and maintained satisfactory…

One of the most elusive statistics in education today is student mobility. Current mobility statistics are based on available rather than appropriate data, resulting in the best available mobility index, rather than one that would serve real information needs. This study documents methods currently being used by school districts and other entities…

This paper describes a multi-faceted approach to improving student retention at an urban public university. It is noted that the students at this institution are older, working people; few live on campus and participate in what would be considered traditional student experiences. The paper examines the physical setting and external environment;…

This paper on postsecondary outcomes illustrates a technique to determine whether or not mainstream models are appropriate for predicting educational outcomes of American Indians (AIs) and Alaskan Native (ANs). It introduces a prominent statistical procedure to assess models with empirical data and shows how the results can have implications for…

The Student Success Program (SSP) at Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, in Ontario (Canada), combines institutional research, intervention strategies, and evaluation to form an effective model of student retention. The institutional research component is managed by the Retention Information System (RIS), which collects demographic,…

A study was conducted to assist the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District in determining the reasons that students had for choosing to attend or that forced them to leave Grossmont College (GC) or Cuyamaca College (CC), in El Cajon, California. An open-ended questionnaire was developed to provide the college administration with the…

In a yearlong project, Britain's Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) investigated why some students leave their educational programs before achieving their certificates or diplomas. The project drew information on completion rates from the BTEC database. Views of BTEC centers' staff were canvassed through a national survey covering…

This study merged and expanded data from two research databases containing information on former students with mental retardation ranging from mild (N=34) to moderate (N=78) to severe (N=86). Data were obtained from the "Benefit-Cost Evaluation Project" and the "Post School Transition Project." The subjects came from different…

This resource handbook was designed to assist constituent school district personnel with the critical issues of student absenteeism and dropouts. From July 1982 through February 1983 and in May 1986, members of the Oakland County (Michigan) Attendance/Dropout Task Force met with educational and community agency personnel, graduating high school…

A design for improving the quality of information available for continuous operational study of student retention at the University of Hartford in Connecticut was examined involving a microcomputer based decision support system for student retention research. The system, an interactive modeling approach to conduct longitudinal and comparative…

In the Maryland community colleges, a Success Rate Indicator is used to measure student success and is determined from the graduation, transfer, and still-enrolled status of a cohort of first-time full-time students after 4 years. The information is obtained by matching enrollment and graduation files from all public colleges in Maryland. Students…

A study was conducted to examine several academic and non-academic variables in terms of their relationship to student attrition at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC). The study sample consisted of 306 associate in arts degree-seeking students who first enrolled in fall 1981. Four groups of students, defined according to the last semester…

Basic background information on college student attrition research studies is provided. This paper is divided into nine components that were prominent in the existing literature: (1) higher education and the concern for attrition; (2) factors involved in college student attrition; (3) demographic factors involved in college student attrition; (4)…

An overview is provided of problems and potential solutions associated with high dropout rates at community colleges. The first sections look at the extent and nature of the dropout problem, highlighting some of the causes of student discontinance, the costs to the individual and society, and the paradox of open access and student retention in…