Persistence and graduation rates of University of California, Davis, special action students admitted in any fall quarter from 1975 to 1985 were studied. Special action students show academic potential but do not meet admission requirements of completed course work and academic achievement. The number of special action students during this 10-year…

The "Progress Reports" program, which is designed to improve freshmen retention rates at the University of Lowell, is discussed. Attention is directed to program objectives, rating system, program evaluation, student and faculty attitudes about the program, and student grades and retention rates. The program is designed to: (1) encourage…

The report presents results of a computer summary of Sacramento City Unified School District data on high school level dropouts for the four school years from 1980 to 1984. The district dropout rate fluctuated mildly from 1980-83; from 1982-83 to 1983-84, however, there was a drastic decline in the dropout rates. Each regular high school showed a…

This report is a summary of dropout rates for the 1980-81, 1981-82, and 1982-83 school years. From 1980 to 1983, dropout rates at individual schools ranged from 4.1 percent to 15.5 percent at regular high schools, 15.6 percent to 40.7 percent at continuation schools, and 12.1 percent to 50.3 percent in independent study programs at continuation…

A model to distinguish persisters and nonpersisters at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, was developed. Persisters and nonpersisters differed in background characteristics, attitudes toward and interaction with the university, opportunities to leave, and intentions. Responses to a mail survey were returned by 86 first-time freshmen…

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a measure of personality type and learning style, was used at Saint Louis University in the TRAILS (Tracking Retention and Academic Integration by Learning Style) Project. In addition to considering links between learning styles and student academic achievement and aptitude, MBTI was used to identify…

In spring 1985, a study was conducted at Broome Community College (BCC) in New York to determine the relationship between the number of hours students worked per week, their grade point average (GPA), and persistence in college and the conditions that may influence this relationship. The American College Testing Program Student Opinion Survey was…

The San Diego City Schools collected statistics about grades 9-12 students who withdrew from school during the 1979-80 school year. The study's purpose was to determine how many of these former students did not enroll in schools elsewhere and, therefore, should be considered school leavers. The following generalizations may be made from the…

Students who left school entirely during the 1984-85 school year, and others who withdrew from regular school and subsequently returned to the district's High School Diploma Program (HSDP), completed questionnaires providing information about their educational values, reasons for leaving school, perceptions of their academic abilities,…

Graduation rates of mature age unmatriculated students who were admitted to the University of New South Wales were studied, along with employment outcomes for graduates. The study focused on the first five cohorts of special admissions students (1975-1979). The graduation rate of special admission mature age students compared favorably with that…

The purposes and known effects of student financial aid programs in U.S. higher education are reviewed. The rationale for the creation of federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs is considered, including state grant and scholarship programs, independent college programs, work-study programs, special purpose programs, and private…

John Tyler Community College (JTCC) in Virginia founded the Extended Learning Institute (ELI) in 1982 as a program to develop and administer instruction via alternative delivery systems. Print-based, independent study courses have been the primary alternative system used, though telecourses were offered from fall 1983 through winter 1985 and again…

The intent of this book is to strengthen the professional role teachers play in curriculum planning and development, a process central to teacher activity and responsibility. Contextual narratives, document analysis, the use of metaphor, personal rules, principles, beliefs, images, and philosophy are all described for use in hands-on exercises.…

This document looks at educational reform related to teacher incentives policy through legislative and state education agency perspectives. It includes an overview of national issues pertaining to teacher incentives, a narrative report on the status of teacher incentive policies in the seven state region serviced by the North Central Regional…

Evaluation of the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (A.I.D.P.) program as it operated in 26 selected New York (New York) public high schools in 1986-87 raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the program. A minimum of 50 percent of the participants were to achieve the following objectives: (1) improve attendance; (2) pass at…