The General Educational Development (GED) credential is often considered to be the equivalent of a high school diploma for students who do not graduate from high school. A GED credential can expand opportunities in the labor market (Song and Hsu 2008) and in postsecondary education for those who obtain it. Nearly all postsecondary institutions (98…

The main aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of why students abandon their studies, or perform less well than expected given their high school grades, and to develop predictive models that can help identify those students most at-risk at the time they enter college. This will allow teachers and those responsible for student…

This, the third of three reports on a study of returning students attending Toronto Secondary Schools during the 1977-1978 academic year, provides indepth information about a sample of returning students and their non-returning counterparts on the following topics: (1) student characteristics; (2) circumstances surrounding leaving school; (3)…

In an effort to evaluate the academic persistence and performance of all 271 fall 1989 first-time college students and first-time transfer students at Mendocino College (MC), the students' academic histories were analyzed for 4 sequential semesters from fall 1989 through spring 1991. In addition, students who persisted were compared with students…

Responses to a survey questionnaire completed by 1,070 migrant students who returned to school after dropping out were tabulated and listed by response frequency to determine student characteristics that will help migrant educators predict dropout behavior and address its causes. Participating students were enrolled in 13 High School Equivalency…

In 1980, a study was conducted to determine the student dropout rate at the University of South Carolina at Lancaster and the characteristics of typical dropout students. Data were obtained for 99% of the 736 students enrolled during fall 1980 with respect to variables including race, sex, marital status, age, major, day/evening schedule,…

The decade of the 1980s saw great change in the educational system. This report examines the changing demographics of high school students over the last decade and investigates the impact that these changes may have had on high school dropout rates. Specifically, the study examined the changing nature of the high school population during the last…

Characteristics and attendance patterns of persisters and dropouts from college and vocational/technical schools were studied, and a model of the persistence process was tested using data from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS), which surveyed high school seniors in 1972, with followup surveys in 1973 and 1974. Student persistence was defined…

This report presents data from the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88), which started with an eighth grade cohort and aimed to provide data on dropout experiences as students made the transition into high school and to examine the contextual school and family factors associated with dropping out. The report offers extensive…

This report brings together the many findings gathered during a three-year study of the 8,979 students who entered Hawaii's seven community colleges in fall 1975. Study results are organized in the following sections: (1) selected highlights from the literature and description of the flow project; (2) characteristics of entering students and…

Based on data collected from the 1,288 students who enrolled at Kapiolani Community College as first-time freshmen in Fall 1979, a study was undertaken to determine the characteristics of new students that are predictive of two dependent variables: (1) second semester enrollment, and (2) a first semester grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above.…

The purpose of this report was to compare, after six semesters, the characteristics and attitudes of students who entered the Hawaii community college system in 1975 and who either graduated or dropped out. A comparison of the following characteristics of both groups revealed significant differences in all areas but one: sex, age at entry, marital…

In 1990, a study was conducted to validate factors which relate to the persistence or retention of students enrolled in two-year college occupational programs, with a particular focus on minority students. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 731 students and 55 faculty members at 5 colleges in New York. In addition to the survey,…

A stratified sample of 554 mature students at University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland was studied. The sample included 200 unsuccessful applicants, 98 full-time mature students, 95 mature graduates, 100 modular bachelor of arts students, and 61 students who withdrew from UCD. A 50% response rate was achieved. The typical mature student was…

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is a large-scale, national longitudinal study designed and sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), with support from other government agencies. Beginning in the spring of 1988 with a cohort of eighth graders (25,000) attending public and private schools across…