Most research on success in first-semester retention of college freshmen has looked either at performance in specific courses or at performance in a given course across all colleges. In the fall of 1997, Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) implemented a new academic eligibility policy, which defined success as earning an average grade of C or better. This…

The term efficacy is broadly defined as the power to produce effect. Since 1977, with the advent of the concept of self-efficacy, research has attempted to establish the type and strength of the relationship between the concept and the education profession. The purpose of this document is to provide a conceptual, theoretical, and integrated review…

This handbook addresses questions that school administrators may have about support assistance programs for new teachers. Following an introduction, the guide is organized into five sections. The first section describes the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Chapter 2. Section 2 examines support needs of new teachers in critical shortage…

The Maryland State Department of Education Task Force on Recruiting Minorities for Professional Staff Positions was charged by the State Superintendent in August 1987 with developing a systematic state plan of action to increase the number of minorities in professional positions throughout Maryland's public schools. The group specifically…

In 1992, a practicum was undertaken to develop a student retention plan for use at Sue Bennett College (SBC), an independent junior college located in London, Kentucky. The college had a retention rate of 33 percent between the freshman and sophmore year in 1990 which was a decline from the 62 percent in 1985. The development of the plan included…

Valencia Community College in Florida developed a holistic approach to improve student retention during the period October 1987 through September 1992. Two of the major thrusts of the retention project were the development of an extended orientation course about student success (SLS 1122) and the development of a faculty mentoring program. Study…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between school climate and student persistence are presented in this paper. Two surveys were administered to teachers and students at 10 Austin, Texas, high schools. Three factors of school climate were investigated--teachers as professionals, goals for student learning, and school discipline and…

Outcomes of the Performance-Based Diploma (BPD) Program, a program implemented at a high school in the southeast United States, are described in this paper. The basic elements for success are people, program design, and product. Staff function on the belief that teachers exist to meet students' needs. The program includes the following components:…

This booklet was developed by early education teachers to help parents teach their children values necessary for learning and for living. The introduction identifies six lifelong values, discusses the important role played by parents in teaching these values, and offers a checklist of positive ways parents interact with their children. Each of the…

This paper uses the analogies of the Iliad and the Odyssey to examine different types of college student withdrawal behavior in the context of a study an integrated model of student retention at Angelo State University (ASU) in Texas. The study selected 824 first time freshmen of whom 343 responded to the mailed ASU Freshman Experiences survey.…

This report describes a project which examined special education teacher stress and burnout during the trainee (N=358) and inexperienced teacher (N=357) periods. The project's two goals were: (1) documentation of the relationships among teacher background, preparation, organizational variables, and occupational stress and burnout variables through…

This document contains 68 presentations made at a conference on the recruitment, retention, and academic success of minority group college students. Many minority group students enter college unprepared for a rigorous academic curriculum and face many barriers to persistence in an atmosphere dominated by White middle class culture. Approaches…

A study was conducted at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) to investigate the operation of a grading system which utilized an asterisk (*) grade to indicate progress in a course until a letter grade was assigned. The study sought to determine the persistence of students receiving the "*" grade, the incidence of cases of students receiving…

Three of the four papers in this collection focus on reasons why many Asian Americans end up in dead-end jobs and suggest ways of avoiding this situation. In "Views of an Educator," Nasser Sharify provides insights from an educators' perspective about finding and maintaining a successful career, and recommends that Asian-Americans pursue careers…

Despite efforts by educators, full participation by Alaska native students in the state's colleges and universities has not yet been achieved. Alaska Natives are the state's only racial group that is underrepresented in enrollments at the University of Alaska (UA). This report examines the contribution of the Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI)…