Fluctuations in financial and enrollment conditions have caused the faculty at Cerritos College (California) to be periodically subjected to intense pressure and to be held responsible for high student withdrawal rates, alternating with periods of administrative indifference. Concomitantly, college policy on non-punitive student course withdrawal…

This booklet contains a number of tables that summarize data on the employment and educational status of Philadelphia high school dropouts as of September 1975. Data for the survey were gathered through questionnaires completed by 1,306 individuals who dropped out of high school during the 1974-75 school year. Also included are several tables that…

Even as school standards rise, the on-time graduation rate remains generally stable and the proportion of the American population that has completed high school is the greatest in our history. Negative estimates are based on a lack of definitions and data discrepancies. Two strategies for increasing the graduate rate are discussed. (PS)

Identified factors which distinguish persisters, dropouts, and transfer students in engineering. Also determined a discriminant function which predicts persistence of an incoming engineering student. Factors influencing attrition include: student expectations, academic style, and faculty support.

Argues research investigating distance education drop-out problems hasn't been based on comprehensive theoretical models; suggests Spady, Tinto, and Boshier's theoretical models are relevant to such research, since they reflect importance of exploring aptitude-treatment interactions in investigating drop-out problems; and proposes that the…

This annual report presents comprehensive findings about high school completion and non-completion in Texas public schools. It includes state summaries of the annual grades 7-12 dropout rate used in the accountability system and a new series of longitudinal high school completion/student status rates. The series includes four-year rates for…

In the Wake County, North Carolina, Public School System, there was a duplicated total of 1,230 students who dropped out of school. Of these, 4 were in grades K-6, and the rest were in grades 7-12. These students were first-time dropouts or had dropped out in previous years (duplicated dropouts). There had been a steady decline in the dropout rate…

Raising graduation rates for students attending schools in the United States is a national priority. As part of the No Child Left Behind Act, schools are required to track and report the percentage of students who graduate with a regular diploma in four years. The magnitude of the problem for student subgroups (including students of Hispanic and…

Results of the investigation suggest that the size of the high school or community is related to academic persistence. The degree of incongruence between these social and academic environments (high school vs. college) may require a personal adjustment beyond the capability of some students. (Author)

The purpose of this paper is to describe and comment upon patterns and problems in studies surveyed. These relate to (a) the definition and perception of early school leaving in different settings; (b) incidence and treatment of factors considered as antecedents or consequences; and (c) the research designs and methodology employed. (JB)

Article asks the question Should the Anti-Dropout Campaign" be Curtailed? Suggests that dropping out of high school is overrated as a problem. (Author)

Advocates collecting student background, needs, and goals data to match students with appropriate programs and thereby counteract the high dropout rate. Uses medical analogies, in which each case is "curable," but only after assessing all relevant information. Descries the lack of dropout research and suggests a prescriptive admissions policy. (JG)

Examines the academic trajectories of a cohort of grade 8 students. Results showed that students are most likely to drop out during the first three months of the calendar year, which indicates that this is a critical time for students that demands a collaborative response across schools to support students as they make the transition from middle…

Examines patterns of drug use and other delinquent behaviors among students and school dropouts in six inner-city neighborhoods. Finds no correlation between substance use, delinquency, and dropping out, but does find that all dropouts were characterized by weak family support systems and social isolation. (FMW)

Results from a study of students from two high schools indicate that by using data from students' permanent records, dropouts could be differentiated with 66 percent accuracy in third grade and with 85 percent accuracy by ninth grade. School-attending nongraduates could be identified with 77 percent accuracy by ninth grade. (IAH)