The attitudes of students toward school and dropping out and the kinds of pressures students feel from their families that create school problems were studied in the San Diego City (California) school system. An ethnically diverse inner city high school was selected for the study, with about 56 percent Latino or Hispanic students, 12 percent…

In winter semester 1995, Schoolcraft College, in Michigan, experienced a 7% drop in enrollment and an 8% drop in credit hours, including 461 students who applied but did not enroll. To determine the reasons that the no shows had for not enrolling and how many planned to enroll in the future, demographic data were collected from application…

Data on dropout trends over time are combined with data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey to give a picture of the dropout situation in the United States and the aspirations of students who have dropped out. In 1993, about 381,000 students dropped out of high school. In economic terms the consequences of dropping out can be…

This case study of a student retention program for at-risk students at Mount Hood Community College (Oregon) contends that student retention programs are seldom as holistic and comprehensive as intended. The study analyzed three areas: the design and implementation of a comprehensive program to improve student retention; the organizational…

This paper addresses issues in assessment of college students, outcome studies, and attrition research in the context of trends toward requiring greater accountability from institutions of higher education. First the paper considers how assessment, student outcomes studies, and attrition research terminology might be more clearly defined. It…

This case study of a biracial student who was actually pushed out from the regular school system focuses on the student's perceived reality. The theory supporting the study is Labeling Theory, which asserts that the way in which a student is labeled is dependent on the social context of the student. The subject, a biracial 14-year-old in an…

This article explores the dropout problem at national, regional, and local levels. The demographics of dropouts are examined with particular emphasis on cultural variables and the plight of minorities. The need for community-based education is explored, and a model that has proved successful is outlined for dropout prevention, intervention, and…

This study, part of a larger project on doctoral student attrition, presents an in-depth account of the educational experiences of three doctoral students who dropped out. The students, a woman in sociology who left after the first year, a man in psychology who completed all but a dissertation, and a woman in Art History who left after four years…

This study investigated the employment status and earnings of students in the 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) during the years 1993-94, 1994-95, and 1995-96. Data were derived from a state system that uses unemployment insurance files to track employment of students, the NCCCS registration files, and a…

The changing nature of immigration, the job market, and the world economy preclude today's immigrants from full participation in the culture because they are without adequate education. This paper provides insights into one group of students that is most likely to have problems in school: immigrant pre-literate adolescents. It describes the…

Each year, in order to determine the factors that influence student attrition, Vancouver Community College (VCC) selectively surveys former students who dropped out (discontinuants) of occupational programs on VCC's three main campuses. Former students were surveyed regarding their personal characteristics, main goals for coming to VCC, activities…

This study examined the effect of the Nicholls State-Youth Opportunities Unlimited (NS-YOU) program on 30 adolescents aged 14 and 15. The NS-YOU summer program was designed by Nicholls State University to address the dropout problem among adolescents from low income families. This program provided remediation, counseling, and job training to 14-…

The proliferation of e-Learning programmes on offer within the UK raises critical issues that have yet to be fully addressed in terms of the nature of learning, effective pedagogy, learning expectations and student profile. The amalgamation and influence of these factors is also having an impact upon student retention. This paper examines student…

This document reports on a 30-month study of the Hispanic dropout problem in the Dallas Independent School District (Texas). Information was gathered by the following means: (1) 746 personal, individual interviews and 337 telephone interviews with middle and high school students who had left school, students who had remained in school, and parents…

This study describes the individual, family, school, and community characteristics of Hispanic ninth-grade students enrolled in predominantly minority high schools in five major U.S. cities: Chicago, Miami, Milwaukee, Newark, and San Antonio. The data, which are reported for four groups--Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Central…