Most high schools face the problem of the chronically absent student. In the fall of 1985, the Centennial Effective Schools Committee in Gresham, Oregon established a subcommittee to examine chronic absenteeism among its student body. The committee interviewed 50 students with a history of poor attendance and developed a profile of the typical…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to obtain a profile of degree students who withdrew from courses at the college between 1979 and 1982. Study findings, based on forms completed by 10,148 of the 29,410 students who withdrew from courses during this period, included the following: (1) 11.5% of all course enrollments…

Factors that influenced the withdrawal of academically ineligible black students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were investigated. It is suggested that students who involuntarily withdraw are rarely consulted as to their reasons for leaving and that academic ineligibility may mask many of the same reasons for withdrawing as…

Drawing from the literature and research on educational advising and student retention, this handbook provides practical guidelines on advising students, based on five propositions. The propositions are that: (1) educational advisement should be designed to provide accurate, consistent, accessible information for students concerning their progress…

This five-part report describes a study conducted by Middlesex County College (MCC) to examine the problems and experiences of various segments of its student body and to determine, on the basis of this examination, factors that aggravate student/college interaction and increase student attrition. Part I details study procedures, which involved a…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for increasing student engagement and retention through the use of authentic assessment and cooperative groups. The targeted population consisted of one sixth grade class in an elementary school and two ninth grade classes in a high school located in different communities in the far…

An in-class survey of a representative sample of 298 students was conducted by Merritt College in March 1979 to determine: (1) the approximate number of students who were considering withdrawal from college; (2) the approximate number who had given withdrawal serious consideration in the past; and (3) the factors which students felt were decisive…