This brochure summarizes results of a study of "best practices" in the Student Support Services program (SSS), a federal program intended to increase the college retention and graduation rates of participants who are the first-generation in their families to attend college, are disadvantaged, or are disabled. To identify best practices, SSS projects with statistically significant positive outcomes were identified from the National Study of Student Support Services. This study followed SSS freshman participants and comparable nonparticipants at 50 institutions--30 with SSS projects and 20 without for 3 years. This brochure specifically reports on five of these projects visited in 1996. Common features of successful projects are identified as including: (1) a project-designed freshman year experience for most or all participants; (2) an emphasis on providing academic support for developmental and popular freshman courses; (3) extensive student service contacts; (4) targeted participant recruitment and participation incentives; (5) dedicated staff and directors with strong institutional attachments; and (6) an important role for the project on campus. Characteristics of service delivery in these programs are also noted; they include an emphasis on group learning (though courses, supplemental instruction, and study groups/group tutoring); active counseling; and integrated services. (DB)