To determine factors influencing attrition and retention at Pennsylvania College of Technology, a survey was conducted of the 767 students who were enrolled in spring 1992 but neither graduated nor enrolled in fall 1992. Study findings, based on responses from 373 former students, included the following: (1) only 11% of the minority non-returners…

This study analyzed survey research conducted in 1992 in a suburban metropolitan New York City community, predominantly white, with an 18 percent black, a 4 percent Asian and 4 percent Latino population. The community had an 11% poverty rate. The longitudinal study questioned 305 10th-graders, most of them born outside the United States, by…

This report examines the beginning of the educational experiences of students who leave college before their second year, both those who return to college later (stopouts) and those who do not return (stayouts). The report is based on data from the 1989-90 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study. First-year students in 1989-90 were…

This study, which includes a review of literature and a methodology description, investigates the persistence rates of 462 Native American first-time college students enrolled in community colleges throughout Washington State in the fall of 1988. Their progress was tracked over a six-year study period. Existing data from the State Board of…

This report contains summary tables of state graduation rates for the class of 1993 of the Colorado public schools and dropout rates for the 1992-93 school year. Reports of graduation and dropout rates are further broken down by school district. The graduation rate is a cumulative or longitudinal rate that calculates the number of students who…

This paper presents a four-fold typology developed as a general theory of student motivation to stay in school and work hard at learning tasks. Each of the four-fold categories is described with an initial statement of the specific source of student motivation, an analysis of how the source fits in more general motivational theories, and how the…

This study evaluated Vincent Tinto's longitudinal model for student attrition by examining recent college dropouts' perceptions of their experiences and their decision to leave college. Tinto's model argues that individual departure arises from a longitudinal process of interaction between a student's attributes, skills, dispositions, and other…

This paper documents the multistep procedure used by the Louisiana Department of Education, Bureau of School Accountability to correct and verify the data that drive the state's statewide school performance indicator program, the "Progress Profiles." The paper also reports the findings of a nationwide survey in which state departments of…

In October 1990, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) conducted a study of students enrolled during the previous 12 months who did not re-enroll in the fall of 1990. Surveys were mailed to 1,746 former students, requesting information on reasons for discontinuing study at JCCC, educational experiences and objectives, level of satisfaction with…

In 1986, the New York City Public Schools adopted a cohort methodology for determining dropout and graduation rates. The Class of 1990 was the primary cohort studied in this report; it was the fifth cohort to be studied for at least 4 years using this methodology. Follow-ups are reported for three preceding classes. The 1990 cohort, who entered…

President Bush's National Education Goals for the year 2000 include increasing the percentage of students graduating from high school, increasing the percentage of dropouts who return later to complete a high school degree or its equivalent, and closing the gap in graduation rates between minority group students and White students. Census figures…

This study of the school-related factors that influence the persistence or withdrawal of Hispanic American high school students did not validate Tinto's model of dropout behavior. Tinto's model (1975) is based on a sequence of the following variable clusters: (1) background characteristics; (2) external factors; (3) academic integration; (4)…

Since attrition is often a problem in adult training programs, a study was conducted to investigate the relationship between locus of control and course completion of adults enrolled in a retraining program. Rotter's Social Learning Theory of Personality was used as a starting point for the study. The study population was a sample of 108…

A study examined the transition from secondary to post-secondary education and the opportunities for academic preparation and planning available to Minnesota secondary students. Data concerning post-secondary enrollment patterns, curriculum, planning, and remedial and developmental studies were gathered from a number of sources. Extensive results…

A study identified barriers to successful recruitment and retention of out-of-school youth in vocational education. Personal interviews with directors of the 10 area vocational schools participating in the study provided data on the degree of utilization and success of 35 recruiting practices. The recruiting practice perceived as most successful…