Focusing on the problems of attrition and retention in community colleges, this paper reviews the literature dealing with the causes of attrition, describes promising practices which attempt to deal with the problem, and offers recommendations to enhance retention. First, the characteristics of students likely to drop out of college are described (they include poor academic records, poor study habits and skills, and low aspirations); the cultural, economic, and social factors associated with student attrition are also identified. Next, ways schools contribute to the problem of attrition are discussed, including inadequate testing and counseling procedures, poor teacher attitudes, inappropriate instructional approaches, textbook readability levels that are above student reading skill levels, and unsuccessful efforts to improve students' reading skills. The next section focuses on institutional practices that show promise for increasing student retention, emphasizing the importance of early identification and early intervention and highlighting the characteristics of effective reading and study skills programs. Finally, a series of recommendations drawn from the literature are presented, focusing on assessment and counseling, remedial/developmental programs and instruction, developmental program faculty, and students. (HB)