Reports findings of a national survey gathering information on how high enrollments have affected engineering education. Data are presented on student/faculty ratios, enrollment increases, teaching loads, and salaries. (CS)

The author compares new estimates of college dropout rates with earlier studies, examines trends in enrollment rates and degree awards, and presents estimates of enrollment inflows and outflows. (SK)

A 1979 Paris workshop is summarized that included presentations and discussions on the causes of European and U.S. student dropouts and failures, methods for overcoming such failures and their specific applications in different institutions, and student selection problems. (MSE)

Reports on a study comparing the attrition-retention rates of White and Black college students during the years 1973-1976. Results indicated that attrition-retention was not statistically tied to race, sex, or race by sex; however, attrition rates were consistently lower for Blacks than for Whites. (Author/MK)

Describes how concern about Black male college attendance and retention has become a front and center public policy research priority in Georgia. (EV)

Examines Taiwan's transition from elite to mass higher education, including the political and cultural background, and compares its experience to the United States and Japan. Concludes that problems include fears for educational quality, a rise in the unemployment rate of graduates, and an increased financial burden on the government. (EV)

Investigated longitudinal effects of being a first-generation college student on attrition. Results indicated that first-generation students were more likely to depart than their counterparts over time. After controlling for factors such as race, gender, high school grade point average (GPA), and family income, the risk of attrition was 71 percent…

Examines the intersection of affirmative action with educational attainment based on meritorious achievement. Also highlights the confluence of affirmative action and educational mobility for graduating high school students. Seeks to frame conceptions of diversity from a historical perspective; address diversity in relation to educational, social,…

Examines the special challenges faced by low-income students, concentrating on those characteristics and behaviors that make it particularly difficult for low-income nontraditional students to persist and succeed in higher education. (EV)

Describes how Ohio State University, to confront the nexus between nontraditional students' financial decisions and their academic success in a large-scale setting, has redesigned its financial aid processes, developed minicourses, and brought together financial aid and academic advisers to provide students with one-on-one attention at the most…

Examined relationships of previous college attendance to changes in attitudes later in life. Surveyed adults at approximately age 40 and again 13 years later. Found that, for both men and women, prior college attendance was associated with acceptance of less traditional conceptions of gender roles and beliefs about God and lower feelings of anomia…

Used the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales, a nationally representative longitudinal data set, to explore student's routes to higher education. Found several complex individual and family-related factors influencing continuance in school and subsequent entry into higher education. For example, there is an important interaction between…

Examined attendance patterns of two-year college transfers to a public university, investigating how many students transferred with associate degrees. Students used two-year colleges in many ways to pursue baccalaureates, with 45 percent of students attending 3 or more colleges in pursuing the baccalaureate and 13 percent continuing to enroll at…

Examines how the wealthy Lumina Foundation aims to improve student access to college, but that its origins in the student loan industry raise suspicions about its motives. (EV)

Discusses basic writing pioneer Mina Shaughnessy, who advocated for a humanistic approach to writing instruction for disadvantaged students, within the context of the City University of New York's policy of open admissions. (EV)