A group of college presidents has decided to expand campus public-service programs by encouraging college students to tutor disadvantaged young people, mentoring fourth through ninth graders in danger of not graduating from high school. (MSE)

Finds that at-risk first and second graders made statistically significant gains in instructional reading level that was attributable to tutoring by minimally trained America Reads Challenge college students. Finds that the greatest impact was in affecting children's ability to read words, and that most of their growth occurred during the second…

The presence of academically underprepared students at Vassar College from 1865 to 1890 and at Cornell University from 1868 to 1890 was a source of controversy in both institutions. Vassar took on the burden of providing for comprehensive preparatory education for academically-deficient students within the context of the college. Cornell, although…

The University of Michigan's academic support program helps student athletes graduate. Intense, costly instructional services are provided during the first two years and result in little money needing to be spent later on. A description of the support program for at-risk students is provided. (MLW)

Analyzes factors internal to the tutor and tutee (i.e., cognition, metacognition, and affect) and external to them (e.g., teacher/tutor background knowledge, educational environment, content to be learned, socioeconomic status, family background, and cultural forces) that influence the tutoring process. Suggests a theoretical framework for…

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…

Dropping out of high school is a major concern for the nation. Dropping out of school, although it occurs at a specific moment, is the culmination of a number of factors, including problems from both home and school, and may begin before the at-risk student starts school. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of peer tutoring by…

Describes the Academic Support Programme (ASP) established at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa in response to (1) the disadvantaged educational background of Black students and their consequently high dropout rate, and (2) the projected increases in the enrollment of such students. ASP primarily serves students whose home…

Mentoring is being embraced by many schools as a way to fill gaps in the lives of children classified as "at-risk." Several lines of research indicate that mentoring programs encouraging positive adult relationships with these students provide the support needed to help these children reach their full potential. Through a collaborative…

This study investigated the effects of a study skills course combined with or without class-specific tutoring, and whether or not faculty would be able to observe differences in behavior of high risk students as a result of student participation in the two different levels of intervention. Students (n=22) in the College Skills Development Program…

This study investigated how teachers who are trained to use learning styles and a Learning Styles Laboratory tutoring program can assist at-risk incoming high school freshmen. The study was a collaborative effort among faculty from a state university, students from an historically black private college, and a local high school. Eight teachers at…

Programs providing academic support services in colleges and universities and the evaluation of these services are reviewed. Attention is also directed to the need for opportunities in higher education for students with marginal high school academic records, and responses to the need by institutions of higher education. It is suggested that there…

The TRIO/Special Services Program at the University of Minnesota is described, and a national evaluation of TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Special Services) is briefly summarized. The TRIO/Special Services Program at the University of Minnesota is located within The General College, which is the open enrollment unit of the…

This paper describes a pilot mentoring/tutoring program which paired undergraduate and graduate students with homeless, at-risk, urban elementary students. The project addressed students' poor school performance and disparities in access to technology for minority and disadvantaged students. It purchased computer software and established a…

An end-of-year evaluation of the 1979-80 University of Minnesota's General College (GC) Pilot Education Program (PEP) for academically underprepared minority group students is presented. The results show that compared to other GC students, the PEP students came to the college with weaker academic skills, and had different personal characteristics.…