The current economic and political environment has increased the pressure on higher education to deliver education that is cost-effective, standardized, and accessible. Summer bridge programs have traditionally been one of the economical ways to increase the access and retention of non-traditional, first-generation, or at-risk students. Retention…

A pilot study was conducted to determine whether a computer-generated attendance monitoring system at Vincennes University (Indiana) could increase the academic success of developmental students and of students in two occupational programs currently having high attrition rates. The matched-classes pilot study was conducted during the fall semester…

Community colleges are designed to be open-door institutions, and they enroll a much wider variety of students than baccalaureate granting colleges. Community colleges have always played a crucial role in providing access to college. During the last decade, however, educators and policy makers have shifted their attention to the success of…

Presents three categories of approaches to assess the impact of college supplemental instruction (SI) programs on an institution: anecdotal information; descriptive statistics; and inferential statistics. For SI programs required to justify their existence, these methods include a range of assessment devices from simple testimony to rigorous…

California State University's Summer Bridge program, a preenrollment course for underprepared freshmen that focuses on improving basic skills and familiarizing students with the university environment, has been successful in increasing first- and second-year retention rates for its first three student cohorts. (Author/MSE)

Reviews results of a study assessing the effectiveness of developmental studies program policy at a community college. Issues addressed include required remediation of skill-deficient students, enrollment in college-level courses by skill-deficient students, and differing policies for skill-deficient students depending on extent of deficiency.…

Results of a 1983 evaluation of Pennsylvania's ACT 101 programs, which provide support services to educationally and economically disadvantaged college students, are presented. Attention focuses on: the achievement and persistence of this population of students in 1975, 1977, and 1979; the attitudes of currently enrolled students; the attitudes…

A study of a summer bridge program's effects on low-income and minority groups students during their first year at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that such programs can facilitate transition and adjustment to university or college life and improve academic performance and persistence rates. (Author/MSE)

After studying national literature and local needs, Kutztown University (Pennsylvania) created the Student Support Services Freshman Year Program to help at-risk freshmen acclimate to the campus environment and succeed in college. The program consists of five components: academic advising/counseling; a freshman colloquium; a student-mentor…

This paper describes the development of the University of Georgia's Division of Developmental Studies--a program providing special developmental instruction to students who otherwise would not have been admitted to the school. It consists of four components: English, mathematics, reading, and counseling. The objectives of each of these components…

Partnerships among elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educators in San Antonio (Texas) aim at improving high school and college retention, particularly for Hispanic students. Programs include curriculum development as early as kindergarten, high school junior and senior enrollment in college courses, minority achievement supports, and…