In the United States, Black male students graduate at a significantly lower rate than other student groups, with 38.6% of Black males graduating in six years from four-year institutions and just 21% when time is reduced to four years. This qualitative action research case study used a focus group interview with six participants to understand the…

The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which urban community college students' experiences with validation by faculty contributed to their sense of integration in college and whether this, in turn, contributed to their intent to persist in college. This study focused on urban community college students' validating experiences…

This study examined a program to improve the academic success and retention of student athletes at a target community college in central Illinois. The problem of academic success and retention was identified through use of document analysis, surveys, and interviews. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that varied perceptions of student…

In 1988, the East Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Parish School System implemented an education reform plan to reduce mandatory busing by offering a controlled choice plan allowing educational options. Two years later, parent and community involvement in schools has improved and white enrollment has increased. To understand why a few schools have had…

In order to assess the effects of the remedial (foundations) program at Mohegan Community College (Connecticut) on students' academic performance and persistence in college, a study was made of 180 students who had enrolled in the Foundations Program between September 1971 and 1974, and 180 students who had scored below the 50th percentile on the…

In order to assess the effect of college experiences on student values and retention, a study was conducted of 848 beginning students at three private and four public two-year institutions in the Chicago area. At the beginning of the academic year, two tests were given: (1) the Activities Index to assess the personality characteristics of the…

This study analyzed the demographic and scholastic characteristic differences between a nontraditional and traditional student cohort (total n=11,878) at Ferris State University (FSU) in Michigan, identified (through literature reviews) successful recruiting and retention activities for nontraditional students at other postsecondary educational…

A study was conducted in the Allied Health Division (AHD) at Spartanburg Technical College to determine the effects of an Orientation-Advising (O-A) Program on the rate of student attrition. The O-A Program consisted of one all-day orientation and advising session, and individual advising sessions with counselors and faculty members throughout the…

This paper discusses the characteristics of nontraditional student populations, reviews programs of interest, identifies problems and concerns of these students, and provides a model for orientation sessions targeting nontraditional populations. Following a brief introduction, section II discusses the characteristics, retention, and academic…

This paper reviews research on: (1) the significance of black colleges; (2) characteristics of white students attending black colleges; (3) barriers to recruiting white students on black campuses; and (4) strategies for recruiting white students. Reasons why white students attend historically black institutions and their levels of motivation, the…

In order to determine whether awarding state and federal financial aid to students had a positive effect on student persistence, grade point averages (GPA) and chances of graduating, this study was conducted at North Greenville College (South Carolina). The 252 first-time, full-time freshmen who entered the college in fall 1975 were divided into…

Florida's community college system is uniquely positioned to work toward the fulfillment of the goal of equitable representation of black students in the state's system of higher education. At present, efforts are falling far short of that goal. While blacks represented 18.7% of the 15-24 year olds in the state in 1988, they earned only 4.8% of…

An adapted version of the Bidwell-Kasarda model on school district organizational effectiveness was used to examine all 66 school districts in Louisiana in 1974-75. In an effort to remedy some of the problems in the Bidwell-Kasarda model, student retention rate was substituted for student achievement as the measure of district effectiveness, some…

Organizational change within two public predominantly black populated, two-year community colleges in New Jersey is examined in this comparative case study, in light of their individual institutional allocation of public resources to meet the educational and social needs of educationally and economically disadvantaged black urban students. The…

This research study was conducted to determine if certain characteristics were consistently present in students who completed self-paced study courses, as opposed to those who did not. The survey was conducted at the Santa Fe Community College Flex Lab (New Mexico), which was designed to provide students with an alternative, self-paced method of…