This paper reports on research that examined longitudinal data on students entering Tennessee Board of Regents institutions of higher education after the implementation of a state-mandated developmental studies program. The program identifies and helps at-risk students to persist in college to graduation. Data analysis is presented from a 1986…

This brief report summarizes a longer report with the same title. It focuses on the outcomes of academic advising within the context of research on contact between faculty and students, student involvement, and persistence. It is suggested that colleges and universities use strategic planning to design advising programs based on relationships of…

Mississippi loses up to one-third of its potential high school graduates between grades 9 and 12. Developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for student recruitment are the first and most important steps in organizing an adult basic education program to serve the needs of these individuals. Recruitment requires trying as many methods as…

The purpose of this report is to gauge the short-term impact of assessment, counseling, and orientation services upon entering students in fall and spring semesters of the 1997-98 academic year. Specific research questions relate to the following topics: (1) demographic characteristics of the entering matriculants; (2) patterns of participation in…

This study examined the relationship between the type, amount, and sequencing of institutional funding for graduate students and students' perceptions of the impact of such financial assistance in their persisting to the completion of degree requirements. A total of 295 Ph.D. recipients from the University of Buffalo in New York who received their…

This study examined the social networks of college students and how such networks affect student commitment and persistence. The study's theoretical framework was based on application of the social network paradigm to Tinto's Student Integration Model, in which a student's initial commitment is modified over time as a result of the student's…

This report analyzes the following issues affecting public higher education: student charges; deferred maintenance; state fiscal conditions; the National Retention Project; and prepaid tuition plans. In each section, the report includes an overview of the issue, and presents highlights, findings, analyses, extensive charts and graphs, and…

This paper presents preliminary findings of the five-year research project, "Accelerating the Education of Remedial Students in Higher Education," which is examining effects of current remedial courses at the postsecondary level and exploring the applicability of the "accelerated schools" concept as an alternative. This paper…

A study was conducted at San Jose City College (SJCC) to identify and track 163 new students enrolled in Math 310 over a period of several semesters. Data on the students' competency and persistence rates were collected for fall 1990 and spring 1991, along with subsequent math class enrollments and success rates. Study findings included the…

Vocational education is one of the strategies most frequently cited as a dropout prevention measure, and some schools can document such program outcomes as increased student attendance, retention, and graduation rates. Disadvantaged youth who take vocational courses are less likely to be unemployed and more likely to obtain better-paying jobs.…

The purpose of this study was to compare the retention, progression, graduation, and attrition rates of first time freshman enrolled in four-year undergraduate programs at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and Pittsburg State University (PSU), Pittsburg, Kansas. The characteristics of both schools and the limitations of the study are presented…

This project identified statistically significant predictors of first-year retention among 1991-92 freshmen who were enrolled in a rural midwestern comprehensive college. Results of a step-wise discriminant analysis indicated that college grade point average (GPA) was the best overall predictor of retention of first-year students (n=376). Results…

Seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of the Preparatory Division, which offers remedial courses at the University of Louisville, this study focused on the academic outcomes of remedial instruction in mathematics and on participating students' subsequent ability to undertake and succeed in college-level mathematics courses. The study included 810…

The validity of students' first-quarter academic performance in predicting attrition at Central State University, Ohio, was investigated. It was hypothesized that freshmen who performed satisfactorily during the first quarter were more likely to complete their baccalaureate programs than were those who performed less well. Data on 287 students…

The process by which the student formulates conceptions of the university and the impact of this process on the decision to persist at the university were studied with first-time Mexican American college freshmen. A multiple-subject research design--a modified analytic induction technique--was employed in order to develop a descriptive model.…