Describes the development of an extended freshman orientation course at the University of Central Arkansas. The course, "University Studies," is targeted to the related goals of assisting new university students and increasing retention through increasing student awareness of academic life and development of study skills. (TE)

The career paths of a sample of 5,100 White North Carolina teachers were analyzed using hazards modeling. Subject specialties, lower salaries, and National Teacher Examination scores were important predictors of secondary teacher turnover. Elementary school teachers were less likely to leave overall and more likely to return to teaching. (SK)

Workplace literacy programs can be a means of recruiting and retaining workers who might not otherwise participate. Familiar, accessible locations, flexible schedules, and the job relatedness of curriculum and materials are essential elements in the success of such programs. (SK)

California's Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program, based at the University of California at Berkeley, administers Minority Engineering Programs on 18 public and private college and university campuses. The programs have been successful in raising retention rates among underrepresented minority groups, and are being…

Using teacher commitment as a dependent variable, moderating effects of seven potential substitutes for leadership were investigated using 450 elementary-school teachers. Organizational-commitment scores rose sharply with increases in supportive leadership among staff with low professional orientation. Commitment did not vary with supportive…

As doctoral candidates take longer to earn their degrees, with 70 percent dropping out, and as the dissertation becomes farther removed from the way research is done in some fields, alternatives to the dissertation are being sought. One possibility is that doctorates may be awarded based on published journal articles. (MSE)

Findings from Project CREDIT (Certification Renewal Experiences Designed to Improve Teaching) indicate that a multiple support system combining mentors, peers, and university personnel can reduce some complications of first-year teachers. This intern program for 20 first-year Indiana teachers extends teacher education into the first year of…

The author provides a historical perspective on Blacks as teachers and reviews current trends. Several reasons for the declining enrollment of Blacks in teacher education programs are discussed and possible solutions focusing on recruiting and retaining Black teachers are provided. Increased funding is also suggested. (CH)

A study of characteristics of four classes entering the New England College of Optometry at five-year intervals were analyzed for a relationship between gender, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and attrition. No interaction with gender was found, but lower SAT scores were found to be associated with higher attrition levels. (Author/MSE)

During a walk, an outdoor education teacher reflects on the status of outdoor education in Ottawa (Canada) and importance of maintaining a close relationship with nature. He looks for signs of an old log home site, observes a hawk's flight, discovers remains of a plastic bag in an owl pellet, and realizes that everyone is working on survival. (LP)

Attributional style and academic persistence were assessed in 72 fifth graders. Findings revealed that attributional style predicted teacher-rated persistence but did not predict any of the behavioral persistence measures. Results suggest that students' self-reported attributional styles are related to teacher judgments of persistence. (Author/NB)

The predictive relationship between noncognitive variables, high school mathematics coursework, and admissions test scores with subsequent achievement in college mathematics was investigated. Noncognitive variables were found to be significant predictors of student grade performance in introductory mathematics taken during the first year of…

This study compared college women with a history of childhood sexual abuse to nonabused college women on three measures of academic performance. No evidence was found that sexually abused college women differ from nonabused women in terms of their likelihood of staying in college, overall grade point average, or progress toward degrees. (DB)

Data from the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study were used to assess the influence of prices and price subsidies on within-year persistence by proprietary school students. African Americans, Hispanics, and students without high school degrees were more likely to persist although tuition charges had a substantial negative influence. (SLD)

Behavioral ratings by mothers and teachers of 94 children with Down's Syndrome (between 8 and 14 years of age) indicated general support for the amiable personality stereotype, but ratings of low persistence were associated with maternal impressions of difficulty. There was little agreement between mothers and teachers regarding individual child…