Since 1988, South Carolina's Piedmont Technical College (PTC) has been engaged in a process to develop a functional model for calculating student retention. The college has defined retention as a series of levels at which students and the college persist and work to fulfill goals. This definition is based on the ideas that there is no single…

This book combines findings of existing research with fresh evidence supplied from a sample of institutions regarding noncompletion rates of mature students in postcompulsory education. Chapter 1 considers the changes that have taken place in postcompulsory education and the implications of having an expanded and more diverse student population.…

This report describes policies and practices than can help administrators, faculty, and states improve the rate of transfer between two- and four-year colleges. Sections of the report focus on: (1) "Helping Students Who Transfer from Two-Year to Four-Year Colleges," focusing on the important of transfer programs and opportunities in…

A three-year longitudinal study of student support service programs prepared for the U.S. Department of Education indicated that peer tutoring during the first year of college has a positive and statistically significant impact on students in each of three outcome areas: grades, credits, and retention, and that participation in the first year has…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study examined factors related to postsecondary education enrollment, focusing on the impact of early indicators and financial aid. Major findings of the report indicated the following: (1) a majority of students, 63 percent by 1994, attended some type of postsecondary…

A study was conducted at a medium-sized California community college to identify the characteristics of students who had previously dropped out of college and then returned to the community college and the influences on their decision to re-enroll for college credit. Surveys were mailed to 396 stopouts, asking them to rate the significance of…

Achieving equity in the number of American Indian and Alaskan Native students who enter college and subsequently graduate is important to Natives and to the nation as a whole. Based on institutional data and demographic data, state equity scores for enrollment (ESEs) and state equity scores for graduation (ESGs) were computed for seven states with…

This article proposes that minority students who might be successful in the education profession be evaluated for college entrance using an individually administered test of intelligence. More minorities with the appropriate educational background are needed in the education profession. Typical recruitment of minority students involves seeking…

This study of 1993 Kansas National Merit Semifinalists (NMSFs) examines which colleges/universities students are attending during the fall of 1993 and provides related data concerning the chosen institutions. Information was gathered from 67 high schools concerning enrollments for 159 of the 169 NMSFs in the Kansas class of 1993. Data were…

Tremont Consolidated Grammar School (Maine) has changed little in the past 50 years. The wisdom of Paulo Freire and other educators shows that student empowerment, critical thinking, and parent involvement are necessary for true education, particularly for oppressed people. An ecological approach to education involves the family, the community,…

This paper estimates the effect of a $150 fee increase for the spring semester 1993 on within-year persistence at a large urban institution of higher education, the University of New Orleans (Louisiana). Institutional enrollment projections are estimated using price response measures for three populations (undergraduates 22 years of age and under,…

This study examines the impact of family structure, poverty level, and region of residence on educational attainment. The study uses data collected by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, with a probability sample of 3,854 men and women aged 14 to 18 in 1979. Logistic regression was used to allow for the analysis of dichotomous dependent…

A supplement to a 1982 study on the impact of student charges on access to public postsecondary education in California is presented. The study was conducted by the California Postsecondary Education Commission at the request of the California Legislature. After considering the complex process of instituting new state policies for new conditions,…

Results of a survey of 1981 bachelor's degree recipients at Maryland's public four-year institutions, which was conducted about 1 year after graduation, are presented. Information is provided on post-graduation educational activities, their employment and occupational status, and their achievement of goals. Findings include the following: 57…

As a part of its academic planning process, every two years J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC) assesses the postsecondary plans of the seniors in the local public high schools. Seniors are asked whether they intend to attend a two-year or four-year college initially, and those planning to enroll at JSRCC are asked to identify the…