This article argues that in the drive to develop e-learning initiatives in distance learning, simpler ways of supporting students for retention may be overlooked; for example, the linking of students in the form of mentoring and peer support networks. The article reports on three mentoring projects, in the United Kingdom, Korea and New Zealand,…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the second-year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, a statewide educator incentive program that operated in Texas. As part of this larger study, evaluators examined how participation in the TEEG…

The paper will present findings from a Social Science and Humanities Research (SSHRC) funded participatory evaluation conducted over the past four years in the Cree nation of Wemindji in Quebec, Canada. COOL (Challenging Our Own Limits) or "Nigawchiisuun" in Cree, was launched in 2003 as part of a broader program of governance…

This study duplicated the procedures used by Greene and Winters (2006) on data from the Miami-Dade school system with the advantage of an additional two year's worth of information. The results indicated that the effects of the retention policy are far from clear and arguably negative. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the apparent…

Described as "tough love," Louisiana State University at Eunice's "Pathways to Success" program experienced success in its first two years by implementing mandatory placement, attendance, tutoring, and advising policies. Selected student successes and retention data are discussed, along with policies and some practical advice…

Despite the prevalence of student success courses at community colleges, little research has been conducted on their effectiveness. The research described in this brief is an initial attempt to fill that gap. This brief thus reports the recent findings of an in-depth Community College Research Center (CCRC) study on the relationship between…

This brief summarizes results of a recently published study that examined the effects of career and technical education (CTE) transition programs on student matriculation from secondary to postsecondary education. The study was divided into two components. One focused on secondary institutions' CTE transition programs and their effects on…

The postsecondary attrition rate for American Indian students is higher than of any other racial or ethnic group. It is therefore imperative to identify factors that encourage their persistence in higher education. Employing a phenomenological approach, this study explored the experiences of American Indian college students in a peer-mentoring…

The impact of academic programs--such as developmental mathematics programs--on student retention, has been a controversial topic for administrators, policy makers, and faculty in higher education. Despite deep interest in the effectiveness of these programs in retaining students, scholars have been unable to determine whether such programs have a…

Santa Barbara City College recently established a tutorial center to serve the needs of educationally disadvantaged students, particularly those with minority backgrounds. To investigate the impact ot these services, the performance and persistence of 75 students enrolled in a preparatory English course were studied. Each section was taught by the…

This brief summarizes a study by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) of community college management practices that promote student success. This study addresses the limitations of previous research on the effectiveness of undergraduate institutions in several ways. It takes advantage of a rich set of longitudinal student unit record data…

There is an exceedingly high rate of loss of beginning teachers in the field of public education. Out of the estimated 3.1 million teaching in the United States, 11 percent, or 341,000, quit after their first year of teaching. The data also have revealed that after 2 years, another 651,000 quit and at the 5-year mark, another 1,209,000 teachers…

Students enrolled in a first-year seminar were paired with a matched comparison group, and retention of the 1,853 students in the two groups was compared over a period of 4 years. Results indicated significantly greater retention over a period of 4 years for students enrolled in the seminar. (EV)

Comparison of matriculated freshmen from 1988 and 1989 at the University of Washington found that those students participating in the Freshman Interest Group (200 students from 1988 and 435 students from 1989) were more likely to stay in a competitive course, had higher grade point averages, and were less likely to drop out of college than…

Evaluated recruitment/retention program by surveying 794 adult students who participated in program from 1983 through 1989. Findings revealed that many participants obtained degrees in business or education, and most of them had declared these interests at their initial seminar. An extreme diversity in groups of older students was revealed.…