For most teachers in the United States, teaching is no longer a career-long occupation. This article examines the narratives of a particular group of leavers, former teachers who made significant investments in their teacher training and who taught for at least three years before making the decision to exit. The accounts of these invested leavers…

INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS, AS DO MOST DROPOUT STUDIES, THIS ONE (1) CONSIDERS SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GRADING PRACTICES, (2) ANALYZES THESE PRACTICES WITHIN A GIVEN TERM INSTEAD OF OVER SEVERAL YEARS, AND (3) BROADENS THE DEFINITION OF ATTRITION TO INCLUDE BOTH FAILURE AND WITHDRAWAL. IT ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY…

In an effort to examine the variables contributing to academic persistence, 1,691 St. Petersburg (Florida) Junior College (SPJC) students (960 male and 731 female) were tested two years after their initial enrollment. Ten cognitive variables and 15 non-cognitive variables were examined to determine their relationship to persistence, defined as the…

A study of student attrition rates in 15 Florida junior colleges considered students' educational objectives and plans to reach them. Responses show two groups commonly mislabeled dropouts: those who originally planned to take one or more courses and those who left planning to return. Only two percent were considered legitimate dropouts. (JT)

Almost 19,000 Dade County Public School students--all the members of the 8th grade cohort in June 1980--were followed across four and a half years in a study of dropouts. Major findings include the following: (1) at the end of the follow-up period, 29.5% of the cohort had dropped out (19% of Asians, 26.4% of Whites, 29.3% of Hispanics, and 33.9%…

Discusses retention in community colleges, identifying four reasons that students leave college, including attainment of goals and frustrated expectations. Lists eight intervention strategies that have proved successful, and provides suggestions for retention, such as having faculty serve as mentors to students, and providing the most appropriate…

Findings from a study that compared six methods for computing dropout rates are presented in this paper, which focuses on determining those appropriate for use at the local level of administrative decision making. Statewide data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education and from the Division of Management Information Services, Florida…

This study was conducted to develop a means for implementing proven recruitment strategies to attract and retain students in postsecondary vocational programs in Florida. In order to achieve this purpose, the following objectives were set: (1) to identify methods to overcome the most significant barriers to student retention identified by…

As part of its dropout prevention efforts, the state of Florida offers currently enrolled high school students the opportunity to earn a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. This new graduation option for at-risk students makes frequent use of computer-assisted instruction, operates a counseling component, integrates vocational…

Regulations of the Florida State Board of Education require that each community college district board of trustees provide placement services and maintain followup studies. This document provides the guidelines for these activities. Each college shall designate an officer who shall be responsible for providing placement services and for…

A study examined the factors contributing to the nonreenrollment of 4-H Club members in Southeastern Florida. During the study, questionnaires were mailed to 364 4-H Club dropouts who were randomly selected from the total dropout population of 545 youth in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Based on data from the 139 usable instruments, the…

Building on previous data, researchers used West Virginia school district data to investigate the value of examining structurally determined opportunities and costs to explain high school students' dropping out. The study interpreted dropping out as a rational consequence of students' assessments of the opportunities and costs associated with…

Compares academic achievement and persistence of General Education Development diploma (GED) recipients and traditional high school graduates enrolled in an urban, multi-cultural community college in Florida. Reports that holders of the GED generally perform as well in remedial courses as do high school graduates. Contains 43 references and five…

A study identified barriers to successful recruitment and retention of out-of-school youth in vocational education. Personal interviews with directors of the 10 area vocational schools participating in the study provided data on the degree of utilization and success of 35 recruiting practices. The recruiting practice perceived as most successful…

Although Florida law requires job placement and follow-up services for all students graduating or leaving the school system, there is a lack of understanding about contributing causes and possible solutions to the problem of high school dropouts. To gather information to develop an innovative program to reach dropouts and potential dropouts, 282…