This report contains four case studies from further education colleges in England that have been addressing student retention and dropout issues during the last several years. The case studies demonstrate successful student retention strategies in diverse college contexts with different student populations. They cover the following colleges: Knowsley Community College, Long Road Sixth Form College, Walsall College of Arts and Technology, and Isle of Wight College. The report also reviews some research on the relationship between tutorial processes and student completion rates, as well as research into a number of strategies that have been developed, implemented, and evaluated by North American community colleges. Five conclusions are drawn: (1) although research played a significant role both in mobilizing effort and in creating strategy, data for recording the reasons for student withdrawal seem to have had little influence on action; (2) the case studies support the view that what works is unique to each college; (3) many of the usual change agent theories are working--that action is preferable to endless search for perfect information and that senior managers need to be involved in the process; (4) successful retention strategies all embody elements of college transformation; and (5) student retention issues may form a new literature of college improvement. Contains nine references. (KC)