The low number of baccalaureates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often viewed as problematic for the US's economic competitiveness, leading scholars to search for explanations for STEM retention. Our analyses of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study indicate that the notion of a so-called…

On average, young people who complete Year 12 tend to have more successful transitions from education to work than those who do not. Hence everyone has seen numerous governments introduce policies that promote Year 12 completion. However, in recent years there has been a realisation that it does not make much sense to promote Year 12 retention for…

Using longitudinal administrative data from a large elite research university, this paper analyzes the role of peers and grades in determining major persistence in the life and physical sciences. In the physical sciences, analyses using within-course, across-time variation show that ex-ante measures of peer quality in a student's introductory…

This technical paper examines the issue of attrition bias in two cohorts of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), based on an analysis using data from 1995 to 2002. Data up to 2002 provided eight years of information on members of the Y95 cohort and five years of information on members of the Y98 cohort. This study suggests that…

A tuition-free, vocational, English as a second language (ESL) program offered at a large community college suffers from high attrition as well as student dissatisfaction with curriculum. The purpose of this quasi-experimental, longitudinal study was to assess the effectiveness of a specific ESL curriculum supplement as an intervention to…

Two reports of student nonpersistence at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), are provided, taken from the Maryland Longitudinal Study. The first study, which examined four questions regarding students who become nonpersisters, found the following: nonpersisters had poor high school and first-semester study habits, were apt to have…

The Office of Research and Evaluation of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) has been monitoring the dropout situation in the AISD since 1983-84. In July 1986, a computerized database, the Secondary Student Longitudinal File, was constructed to enable tracking of the enrollment of any group of students beginning with the 1983-84…

Studies on the time bachelor's degree recipients required to earn their degrees at California State University (CSU) and the University of California during the years 1975 to 1985, were reviewed by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The California Legislature requested information on: the number of graduates, by campus and…

The Portland Indian Education Act Project (IEAP), completing its 11th year, serves American Indian students from preschool through high school. Eligibility for services is established according to federal guidelines. Objectives set for the project concentrate on increasing academic achievement and school attendance, and reducing early school…

This longitudinal study summarizes the findings of the United States District Court Monitoring Commission, a temporary agency established under the Bradley v. Milliken desegregation case. The salient issues illustrated by the study are discussed. Sources of data highlighted by the commission are described: (1) the longitudinal survey of teachers…

Although graduating from college may be viewed as a rite of passage for better social mobility in our society, first-generation students, whose parents never graduated from college, face unique challenges to achieve educational success in our country. The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate longitudinal educational attainments of…