The report summarizes findings of research activities conducted over 2 years by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) on the mother tongue and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy. The first section provides a review of existing literature in native language literacy for adults, including a summary of surveys, review of studies on native…

In an effort to improve the high school graduation rate and increase college application and retention rates of high risk American Indian students in Chicago, Truman College (TC) maintains a number of cooperative programs with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Native American Educational Services (NAES) College, the Chicago Public…

In 1990, Queensborough Community College (QCC) conducted a Pre Freshman Summer Program (PFSP) to improve first-time freshmen's basic verbal and mathematical skills and to ease students' transition from high school to college by orienting them to college life. PFSP services, which included remedial instruction, comprehensive counseling, and…

Two studies focused on factors associated with attrition and satisfaction among two-year postsecondary technical college instructors. Results suggested differences in the needs and professional development activities of beginning and experienced instructors. A third study compared follow-up data from a group of beginning instructors 5 years after…

This study of career patterns in teaching was conducted to provide insight into the development of careers within the teaching profession. The objectives of the study were: to describe the career patterns of a national sample of individuals from the high school class of 1971 (1,011 individuals surveyed during the period 1972-86) who were either…

In 1991, a study was conducted at Cumberland County College (CCC) to examine the demographic characteristics, academic goals, attendance patterns, opinions about the school, and other relevant data about CCC's nontraditional age student population (i.e., students aged 25 to 55 years). In fall 1990, 1,147 nontraditional aged students were enrolled…

Eighteen tables on characteristics of movers, leavers, and stayers present data from the 1988-89 Teacher Followup Survey (TFS), a follow-up of a sample of public school (PUBS) and private school (PVTS) teachers who responded to the Teacher Survey component of the 1987-88 Schools and Staffing Survey of the National Center for Education Statistics.…

Studies of teacher satisfaction and workplace conditions generally have focused on the level of the profession or the school site, not on the smaller units within a school or the variations of the work environment within them. This study addresses three limitations of previous research. First, it introduces a theoretical perspective on the…

Black student attrition and its causes were studied at Indiana University. Approximately 60% of black students do not graduate within 5 years of their initial enrollment, in comparison with 40% of white students. A mail survey identified 48 institutional factors and asked students to respond to each was sent to all African American students who…

As educators have come to realize that problems as complex as undereducation, illiteracy, lack of minority educational success, and poverty are too overwhelming for any single institution to address on its own, they have formed inter-institutional educational alliances. In the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), a community…

Strategies for teacher selection, recruitment, and retention are summarized in this report, which is based on results of a national survey of trends, practices, and opinions of school administrators. Thirteen chapters are contained in three sections, which deal specifically with the teacher selection, recruitment, and retention processes. The…

Between 1978 and 1983, Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) undertook a comprehensive reform of its educational program in order to permit the continuation of the open door, while strengthening expectations and increasing the educational achievement of its graduates. Elements of the reform included the reinstatement of a placement testing program;…

In 1981, a study was conducted to investigate the academic performance and persistence patterns of developmental students who matriculated at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) between 1977 and 1979. Specifically, the study sought to determine the proportion of developmental students who successfully completed developmental and subsequent…

The design and features of a model minority retention program are discussed. Components of successful retention programs include: commitment to attract and retain minority students, ongoing sessions to sensitize the campus community to minority students, academic involvement, tenured minority faculty and staff, support services, and minority…

The objectives were to analyse the occupational stress of educators, to determine the differences between occupational stress and strain of educators in different biographical groups, and to assess the relationship between occupational stress, organisational commitment and ill-health. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A stratified random…