Retention is a complex issue of great importance to community colleges. Several retention models have been developed to help explain this phenomenon. However, these models typically have used four-year college and university environments to build their foundations. Several researchers have attempted to identify predictor variables using…

This article investigates three types of stage-sequential growth mixture models in the structural equation modeling framework for the analysis of multiple-phase longitudinal data. These models can be important tools for situations in which a single-phase growth mixture model produces distorted results and can allow researchers to better understand…

College enrollment will be relatively stable over the next four years according to new projections by the U.S. Department of Education. (MLW)

Increasing demands for accurate forecasts in such areas as student enrollment, energy expenditures, and facility capacity are placing new demands on the institutional researcher. A variety of forecasting models and methods are available, all to be used with caution in long-range forecasting. (Author/MSE)

Explains some observed library circulation frequency distributions through use of a simple stochastic model for the borrowing of books from a library collection. Parameters of the model are described and the model is applied to circulation data from three academic libraries. (Author/SW)

The agreement between visual analysis and the results of the split-middle method of trend estimation was examined using a set of 24 stimulus graphs and 30 raters. Results revealed poor agreement between the two methods, and low sensitivity, specificity, and predictive ability for visual analysis in relation to statistical inferences. (JDD)

The use of futures research to improve a college's ability to deal with changes brought about by social, economic, political, and technological developments is discussed, with attention to new planning strategies and forecasting methods. While traditional long-range planning tracks and forecasts the institution's internal development, strategic…

The study forecasts the utilization of the Continuing Education Unit (CEU) in conferences, institutes, short courses, workshops, seminars, and special training programs within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. (A CEU is defined as 10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience.) The methodology…

This eighth annual Student Outcome and Achievement Report (SOAR) provides information that can be used to track high school student outcomes at the state level. The SOAR system collects information about college performance of new high school graduates in Maryland, including: remedial work needed in math, English, and reading; grades in first math…

This seventh annual Student Outcome and Achievement Report (SOAR) provides information that can be used to track high school student outcomes at the state level. The SOAR system collects information about college performance of new high school graduates including: remedial work needed in math, English, and reading; grades in first math and English…

Projections of the number of 18-year-olds in each Pennsylvania county through 1994 are presented. The projections are further disaggregated by the student attributes of sex and race. The projections are based on historical migration rates, natality rates, and mortality rates. The projection procedure assumes that the survival and migration rates…

This report presents quantitative data from an ongoing longitudinal study, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, on degree attainment rates at institutions of higher education. The report covers national degree completion data for three time intervals--4, 6, and 9 years--broken down by institutional type, student gender, and student…