The purpose of the study was to define factors associated with high (16% or more) and low (15% or less) rates of attrition of ethnic minority students in vocational education programs. Six functional areas of school operations were studied: teacher characteristics, teaching techniques, total school environment, supportive services, organization,…

This volume consists of 29 appendixes. Included are: lists of local business contacts, largest employers and the local advisory committee; write-ups of program evaluations; enrollment statistics and follow up of graduates with regard to employment; dropout statistics and description; special counselor duties; and a statement regarding…

The steps which led to the establishment of the Open University in Great Britain and the intentions of its founders are first described, with particular attention paid to the needs it was intended and not intended to meet. Following this is an examination of the evidence to date of the University's success in reaching its target student…

This report examines some of the many varieties of alternatives now available, their problems and pitfalls, and their hopes for the future. After defining alternative schools, the report discusses the rationale for having alternatives and then summarizes the range of alternatives available at both the elementary and secondary levels. Separate…

Compares and contrasts the structural components of minority and general summer retention programs at 20 predominantly white universities. Utilizes the results of a telephone survey. (FMW)

A study explored factors contributing to the high attrition rate of Latino students in Hillsborough County (Florida) schools. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 54 teachers; 52 high-achieving, 39 at-risk, and 6 dropout Latino middle and high school students; and 14 parents. Findings indicate that factors important to academic success…

The undergraduate population at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), an open enrollment four-year commuter college, is highly vulnerable to attrition. Fifty-two percent of the students enrolled between July 1, 1991 and July 1, 1995 either did not graduate after 4 years or did not return to school. In response, the college has developed…

This report, 10th in a series, presents data for 1997 on high school dropout rates, and examines high school completion and graduation rates. The report is based on the best and most current national data available, using data from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census. Data show that about 5 out of every 100 young adults…

Reviews the evidence on how the concept of opportunities to learn can be applied to the demand for more challenging content for all students. Concludes that students learn more if they are offered more demanding curricula. However, such curricula creates the probability of unacceptable rates of failure. (MJP)

Discusses ways that media and technology facilitate learning. Considers cognitive, motivational, and social needs of at-risk students; underlying causes of school failure; ways technology might improve at-risk students' learning; how technology might facilitate school restructuring; and ways schools must be restructured to increase the effective…

The author gives an overview of the main research findings concerning minority retention and graduation. (Contains 1 figure.)

Previous reports by the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) on higher education have dealt with topics such as trends in college remediation courses (Plucker, Wongsarpigoon, & Houser, 2003), post-secondary credit-based transition programs (Plucker, Chieu, & Zaman, 2006), university sponsorship of charter schools (Plucker et…

Incentives are commonly used by individuals and organizations to initiate change. Incentives are now being employed in education to keep students in school. In an attempt to determine the effectiveness of programs that utilize incentives, an analysis was conducted of the programs in the National Dropout Prevention Center's Focus Database that…

A study analyzed the likelihood and the meaning of a promotion among working women aged 37-48 in 1991. The study used data from the Young Women's cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys (a sample of women who were aged 14-25 in 1968 and who have been interviewed regularly since that year). In 1991, the survey asked working women whether a…

The study presented in this document was designed to test, through path analysis, a modified version of the Bean and Metzner (1985) model of nontraditional student attrition in an effort to understand why older students frequently dropped out of a large public university in the Midwest. Four variables from Bean and Metzner's model were deleted and…