The concept of family literacy is firmly rooted in a substantial research base from several disciplines: adult literacy, emergent literacy, child development, and systems analysis. Research from these disciplines was reviewed to determine the benefits of family literacy. The results show that family literacy programs do work and that at least four…

Several retention strategies have been developed at Miramar College in San Diego, California, to reduce attrition and enhance institutional effectiveness. One of these, the PLACe tutorial center, is dedicated to empowering students to attain educational success. In spring 1992, developmental English students who did not use the PLACe Center had a…

This study evaluated a first-year pilot program to improve retention, academic achievement, and student satisfaction of 49 academically underprepared freshmen at Assumption College (Massachusetts), a predominantly white, Catholic, liberal arts institution. Students were identified by low verbal, math, and total SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)…

The Mentor Teacher Internship Program (M.T.I.P.) represents, a collaboration between the Board of Education of the City of New York and the United Federation of Teachers. The program establishes a relationship between an experienced mentor teacher and a newly hired uncertified teacher. This report evaluates the 1992-93 M.T.I.P., discusses the…

A study was conducted at Sacramento City College to determine the effect of "College Success" (CS), an extended orientation class, on students' academic performance and persistence. The study included three groups of students: 116 students enrolled in CS, 104 students who attended a 4-hour New Student Orientation (NSO), and 84 students who…

This paper analyzes the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Area School District's foreign language exploration (FLEX) program's effectiveness regarding the students' decisions when electing a sequential program of language courses. The FLEX program in French, German, and Spanish was implemented in three middle schools in the years 1981-85 and was…

Local education agency responses to student pregnancy and parenthood are constrained by narrow definitions of the problem, opposition to sex education, contraception, and abortion, disagreement about the appropriate school role, lack of expertise, and lack of incentives to develop programs. Nationwide field studies were conducted to assess 12…

Debates about developmental instruction have prompted postsecondary institutions to justify their developmental courses. This study investigated a method of documenting the benefits of developmental courses that involves using placement test scores to predict college outcomes separately for students who take a developmental course before taking…

State-level policy support for teacher induction programs can help teachers realize their full potential, keep them in the profession, promote greater student learning, and save money. Higher education institutions and school districts must work together to provide high-quality and well-designed induction programs. This issue of "Policy Matters,"…

This volume contains the four 1998 quarterly issues of this newsletter that present best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and information on how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policy makers. The following are among the major articles included: "Power,…

In a study of the effectiveness of a faculty/student mentoring program at a large urban university, 339 undergraduate students assigned to mentors were matched with nonmentored students based on gender, ethnicity, grade point average (GPA), and entering enrollment status. Results showed a higher GPA, more units completed per semester, and lower…

Reviews the literature on the efforts of school-college collaboration to increase the number of minority group students who enter and graduate from college. Concludes that these relationships have been largely self-serving, benefiting school and college personnel much more than the targeted disadvantaged students. (FMW)

A six-week University of Virginia residential summer program exposing minority college students to the rigors of medical school has been highly successful in increasing recruitment and retention of minorities. Cooperation with a consortium that includes historically black colleges and universities has been a key program element. Lack of minority…

In an effort to recruit and retain Hispanic students in higher education, some policymakers are advocating a program using Hispanic faculty as role models. It is argued that, as currently conceived, such programs cannot be successful, and that the ideological and structural factors in academe that relegate Hispanic faculty to second-class status…

In 1993, the creation of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program accelerated interest in understanding the effects of merit-based student financial aid. This article compares a sample of "borderline" HOPE recipients (students just above the eligibility threshold) with similar nonrecipients to examine differences on four college performance outcomes.…