Surveyed the preferences of 66 Black, White, and Mexican-American college students for directive and nondirective counseling analogs to determine the impact of culture and social class in counseling. Results showed Blacks generally scored the two methods exactly opposite their White and Mexican-American counterparts. (JAC)

Studied factors associated with family treatment: attendance and continuation as related to chronicity of the presenting problem, nature of referral source, initial clinical perceptions of family and predictions about termination, and family attendance in evaluation and treatment sessions. Attendance and continuation were not related with family…

Discusses three educational system indicators: the number of years students will spend in the system, the number of grades they will complete, and the percent of entrants who will graduate from the system. Describes the computation of the indicators' formulas and presents an example of their application and interpretation. (Author/RW)

Horizon High School combats student dropout rates in Bakersfield (California) by maintaining a small enrollment, high community involvement, close student-teacher relationships, flexible scheduling, and attention to individual students' educational needs and interests. Student attendance, graduation rates, and standardized test scores are…

Used modeling and role playing to strengthen the cognitive and social skills of students in a high school with high dropout and delinquency rates. Subjects who received special training were able to think of more adaptive ways of approaching problematic situations, and perform more effectively in a self-presentation situation. (Author/JAC)

A study of student retention at the University of Missouri--St. Louis focused on the behavior of stopouts. Retention of first-time freshmen was higher than that of transfers, but the cumulative percentage of graduates of transfers by the fourth year was double that of first-time freshmen. Males showed higher retention rates, as did Whites over…

The question of how to build a student body from a large applicant pool was addressed in a 1980 study of students at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design from 1969-78. The results of the selection process are presented. (MLW)

Presents a case study of the integration of a community survey and a community development seminar into a total community effort. Describes the results which included the initiation of new action programs in recreation and housing, the involvement of more citizens in leadership roles, and the development of communication networks. (LRA)

The ethnographic study which examined Chicano students with extensive absences and low academic achievement indicated that student-informants reacted negatively toward the formal social sub-system (including the teachers, the curriculum and materials, and the school's organization structure) because they found little in the sociocultural…

This paper presents the plight of the world's poor, which was discussed at The World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development in July, 1979. Urban bias is attributed to the failure of rural development. More participation of rural people is needed. Progress is being made. Examples of literary programs in Iraq and the Sudan are included.…

To combat student attrition, counseling centers must expand their programs by reaching out to students before emotional or academic problems begin. Special emphasis should be put on admission counseling, and term, mid-term and between-semester periods. (JAC)

Results showed the Scholastic Aptitude Test-verbal section, the Scholastic Aptitude Test-mathematics section, the rank in class, and annual income were not effective predictors of college graduation, withdrawal or academic dismissal status. Future research should investigate the interaction of both antecedent and intervening variables. (Author)

Salient findings of six studies assessing the construct validity of Tinto's model of college student attrition are described. The studies are based on three independent data collections over a three-year period and indicate the students' informal contacts with faculty are consistently related to subsequent persistence/withdrawal decisions.…

Reviews the Farmers' Functional Literacy Programme and various definitions of literacy, and describes a study in four villages of Deoria (India) to investigate the relationship between farmers' literacy status and their adoption of improved agricultural practices. Discusses the indicated trend toward agricultural improvement with rising literacy…

Describes the ethnographic component of a multidisciplinary evaluation, conducted by the RMC Research Corporation, of the Career Intern Program for dropouts. Includes discussion of participant observations, interviewing techniques, triangulation, unobtrusive measures, data recording, and equipment. (Part of a theme issue entitled…