This report describes the dropout rate for the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District for the year 1985-86. All students eligible to drop out--those between 15 and 21 years old in grades 7 through 12 or in Special Education or ungraded equivalents--were identified (N=70,025). The number of dropouts--not including runaways or those whose…

As part of the Maryland Longitudinal Study of 772 students entering the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) in the fall of 1980, a study was conducted to determine patterns of college student employment and profiles of students in different employment categories. Findings included the following: (1) approximately 40% of students were…

Institutional research that focuses on professional development is addressed in 35 papers from the 1982 meeting of the North East Association for Institutional Research. Titles and authors include the following: "Modeling College Student Adjustment and Retention for the Individual Institution" (Norman D. Aitken); "The Development…

In an effort to increase the retention rates of high-risk students in allied health programs, the Medical Campus of Miami-Dade Community College has developed a strategic plan for retention that employs a systems approach to the integration of academic support services, emotional and social supports, and personalized communication. The assumptions…

This report on the effectiveness of Shelby State Community College's (SSCC) Academic and Developmental Services (A/D) Program consists primarily of statistical tables that describe three cohorts of full- and part-time students; i.e., those currently enrolled students who entered the college in fall 1985, 1986, or 1987. Data are presented on basic…

In 1960, Mount St. Mary's College (MSMC) opened the Doheny campus as an alternative for students who had potential for college, but who were not eligible to enter MSMC's traditional baccalaureate campus. The Doheny Campus has consistently developed innovative programs to enable students to successfully complete associate in arts degrees and also…

Retention attrition in a special elementary teacher preparation program at the University of British Columbia was studied over a 9-year span with 130 American Indian freshmen. Background variables such as age, gender, marital status/parenthood, ethnic status, entrance year, and locality did not differentiate graduates from non-graduates except…

The relationship between college students' goal and institutional commitments and their levels of academic and social involvement was examined. The study was longitudinal, examining all of the residential freshmen (N=670) who entered Mary Washington College (Virginia) in the fall of 1985, from a point prior to matriculation to a point late in the…

A study was conducted to document the academic and career progress of representative groups of students in all 19 Kansas community colleges from first college entry to experiences after leaving college. In fall 1985, each college randomly selected 50 to 100 representative first-time, full-time freshmen who agreed in writing to complete an initial…

The 1984-1985 Student Data Report, which is derived from the Oklahoma Regents' Unitized Data System, is presented. Statistical data and narrative sections cover movement into college, enrollments, student distribution, student progression, and transfer of students. Specific topics include: average annual movement of Oklahoma students into college…

Ways that states can help improve the academic achievement of minority college students are recommended by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEOs) Task Force on Minority Student Achievement. Current concerns regarding minority representation in college and minority student achievement are outlined, and implications in the context of…

This study was conducted to determine causes for attrition among students in an Adult Basic Education (A.B.E.) program located in a non-metropolitan area. Dropouts and completers were compared by demographic characteristics and by sources of difficulty (nonschool-related, school-related, and affective) in attending class. In addition, causes for…

The administration, purpose, and design of student financial aid programs are examined with emphasis on assuring greater access to higher education, student persistence, and providing students with incentives for performing well academically. After a brief history of financial aid and a review of selected studies on persistence, the sampling and…

The decline in the number and status of women in educational administration and the magnitude of their lack of representation in administrative positions is evidenced by numerous studies. To achieve the goal of identifying the components of the problem, solutions suggested by the research, and implications for women who aspire to administrative…

Factors contributing to the academic persistence of college students and those factors that may be amenable to institutional control were studied in 1980 at Georgia State University. The academic career of 4,481 students was studied for a 5-quarter period at this nonresidential, urban university. Multiple regression and multiple discriminant…