Persistence rates and College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) passing rates are the two outcome measures most often used to assess success at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC). A study was conducted to examine these two measures for comparative groups of students whose performance on the basic skills assessment measure ranged from passing no…

A retrospective comparative analysis of data collected between 1975 and 1979 was undertaken at Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) to quantitatively determine the impact of WCCC's developmental education program on: (1) the persistence and academic performance of underprepared students; (2) the college's financial situation; and (3) the…

Career and technical education (CTE) administrators are increasingly being forced to resort to filling CTE teacher positions by hiring industry experts for classroom teaching positions and subsequently using creative ways to develop qualified, certified, and exemplary CTE instructors. Traditional teacher mentoring and induction programs fail to…

This research project was conducted to identify the reasons for the low retention rate for adult students enrolled in the prep level of the General Educational Development (GED) programs offered by the Clinton County (Pennsylvania) Development Center for Adults. All adult students who attended class at least once from July 1998 through January…

The field of special education has been consistently plagued with serious personnel shortages, high rates of teacher attrition, criticisms of inadequate teacher preparation, and questionable student outcomes. The recent focus on increased standards and improved student outcomes adds complexity to this situation. Of paramount concern are the need…

This is the first interim report of the congressionally mandated National Study of Student Support Services (SSS), a federally funded grant program designed to help economically disadvantaged students achieve success at the postsecondary level. The program is intended to facilitate disadvantaged students' high school completion, entry into and…

The extent of postsecondary remedial studies in the United States was investigated in 1983-1984, along with characteristics of current programs, and measures of program effectiveness. Reliable national estimates were sought on: the number and type of courses offered; the percent of students taking remedial courses and recent enrollment changes;…

The Bilingual Education and Career Awareness Program at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the Bronx was awarded a 1-year grant extension to provide services to 235 ninth- through twelfth-grade limited-English-speaking Hispanic students of varying English and Spanish proficiency. Primary program goals were to increase English and Spanish…

In spring 1985, a study was conducted to evaluate the basic skills program of San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC). The study focused on student demographics, skill growth, the effects of basic skills classes on performance in other classes, retention rates, self-confidence, assessment scores related to course selection/performance, and re-entry…

There has been very little previous evaluation research that examines the effects of interventions on persistence.

This follow-up study, part of the National Study of Student Support Services compared the status of 2,900 disadvantaged students receiving student support services (SSS) since entering college 3 years earlier and 2,900 nonparticipating comparable students. Services offered varied among institutions but were all intended to help students stay in…

In a joint venture between the University of Arizona (UA) and the Pima County Community College District (PCCCD), the Partnership to Aid and Retain Transfer Students (PARTS) was designed and implemented to aid minority PCCCD students planning to transfer to UA. Specifically, the program sought to create faculty professional development activities…

A federal program designed to reduce dropout rates in middle schools among limited-English-proficient (LEP) students is described. The program trains LEP middle school students at risk of dropping out as tutors for elementary school children. A demonstration project trained 101 Hispanic student tutors in two Texas school districts. Evaluation of…

Dutchess Community College (DCC) in Poughkeepsie, New York, has developed a series of 1-hour, noncredit study skills courses (CSS), which use the content of introductory credit courses as a vehicle for teaching study skills. These course-specific study skills are taught by the instructors of the related credit courses, and stress practical work…

In the prevailing atmosphere of concern for basic skills development, Houston Community College System (HCCS) faculty and administration perceived the need for a self-evaluation of HCCS's developmental studies programs. The purposes of the resulting study are: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of the institution's developmental studies programs by…