This study provides a description of the practices elementary school principals employ to reduce the likelihood that at-risk youth will actually experience school failure. The problem investigated in this study is reflected in this broad question: What is the relationship of principals' practices to the provision of service for at-risk youth? Differences in the importance and frequency of use of practices by principals were compared. Variables such as school size, percentage of students who are eligible for free lunch, percentage of students who are at-risk, student mobility, and principal's rating of how successfully their school is serving at-risk youth were also investigated. Thirty percent of the elementary principals employed in the metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon were randomly selected to participate in this study. The research design was descriptive. Data were collected from the critical Principal Practices Profile, a questionnaire developed by the researcher and five practitioners after an extensive review of related literature. Using a 4-point scale, principals indicated the importance and frequency of use of principals' practices for the provision of service for at-risk youth. Eighty-three percent of the selected principals completed and returned the survey. Of the responding principals' schools: 25.9% had a student population greater than 600 students, 27.8% had more than 50% of the student body eligible for free lunch, and 43.5% had more than 32% of the student body at-risk of school failure. A number of statistical treatments were performed in analyzing the data. According to the respondents, "Selection of Service Delivery Patterns" emerged as the most important practice (M = 3.65) and the most frequently used practice (M = 3.21) for serving at-risk youth. The practice "Selection of Service Delivery Patterns" was described by five explanatory items: identifying at-risk youth, requiring the modification of curricula, identifying suspension and expulsion alternatives, monitoring student performance, and implementing retention alternatives. The principals' practices and the school demographics were compared using an ANOVA. Associations reaching a significant level were found between the independent and dependent variables; however, the importance and frequency of use patterns reported by the principals could not be consistently explained simply by school demographics

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The problem investigated in this study was which of three theories of withdrawal best explained why some community college students voluntarily disengaged from school. The theories examined were Clark's (1960, 1980) "cooling-out" theory, Ogbu's (1974, 1978) "job ceiling" theory, and Willis' (1977) "counter-culture" theory. Eleven white females who originally attended the same institution in the southeastern United States primarily as full-time students and later voluntarily withdrew were selected on the basis of those who would have ordinarily been expected to persist to graduation and those who would not have been expected to do so. These two groups were also sub-divided by lower and higher social class standing. Data were collected through four interviews to provide a life history of the educational and occupational experiences, attitudes, aspirations, and beliefs of each participant. Domain analysis, a method recommended for qualitative, text-based data, was used to analyze the transcribed interview responses. The findings indicate that the three theories providing the conceptual framework do not fully explain why the women in this study chose to withdraw from college. These women did not seem to perceive that the institution had encouraged them to lower their aspirations and to relocate in the curriculum (Clark). The women also did not seem to consider the job ceiling in making their own occupational decisions (Ogbu). Further, they did not seem to be attracted to a counter-culture set of beliefs and behaviors, and in fact, seemed to accept the beliefs and behaviors of the school (Willis). Rather, the women in this study demonstrated goal confusion and indecision, confusion about the relationship between education and work, and ambivalence about the identities and roles they wanted for themselves. Although they all wanted "something special" as an occupation, they gradually narrowed their options by acting upon the messages they received from significant others and from their observations about the role of education and work in people's lives. The decision to withdraw from college was but one of the choices they made as they narrowed their l options. Factors which remain unexplained by the three theories and recommendations for community colleges hoping to improve retention rates are discussed. / Ed. D.

This study examined the relationship between ten selected characteristics and persistence in different types of four-year institutions. The characteristics examined were divided into three separate clusters: personal (sex, race, religion), environmental (socioeconomic status, parents' educational level, number of children in the family), and academic (aptitude, high-school grades, size, and program). The data were extracted from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The Carnegie classification was used to segregate four-year institutions of higher education into six major categories. Persistence in higher education was defined and examined in two different ways. In the first instance a persister was a student who enrolled in a particular institution in the fall of 1972 and graduated or continued his/her enrollment in the same type of institution according to the Carnegie classification on a full- or part-time basis through the fall of 1976. In the second instance a transfer student was defined as a student who persisted over the four-year period but moved his/her enrollment to an institution in other than the original Carnegie classification. First, data were gathered to examine the rates of student persistence. The resulting information was presented in tabular format. The second objective focused on the analysis of the relationship of the selected characteristics with persistence among and within the six classifications of institutions. The relationship of the selected characteristics and the distribution of persisting students among the six categories were analyzed. Different types of college-attendance patterns (persist, transfer, dropout) were isolated. These groups were compared using chi-square to determine significance of the comparisons. The findings were highlighted by the following statements. The recruitment and retention of black students in Research and Doctoral-Granting Universities were found ineffective. There was little difference between males and females in overall persistence rates. An association existed between religion and persistence in certain types of institutions illustrated by a strong overall persistence rate for Jewish students. High socioeconomic status students had a greater opportunity at institutional mobility by transferring into other classifications and then persisting in larger proportions than students in the low and medium range. As parental education levels increased so did the persistence rates of offspring. Aptitude and high-school grades were found strongly associated with persistence, however, different patterns were found in different institutional classifications.

This study focused on a Mexican-American high-school senior student population in a rural agricultural area in the northwest. The purpose was twofold: (1) to examine the characteristics of the seniors that would graduate; (2) to examine the relationship between a set of nationally identified at-risk characteristics and the high- and low-achievers in the sample population. The data from the student survey yields the following profile of a successful Mexican-American student. The distribution of gender was approximately equal. The student lives with both parents in a low socioeconomic status family of approximately five children with both parents working. Both parents and students in these families are highly bilingual/bicultural. The students' families, especially the mother, are highly supportive of the student. The students like school, do well, and are active in extracurricular activities. They have a good self image, have high aspirations, and are goal orientated. Finally, during the school process, the student has been supported by teachers, friends and counselors. When examining the high- and low-achieving students in the study, it was discovered that the low achieving students exhibit many characteristics typical of high risk students. The students with these characteristics are frequently absent from school and have poor grades. They come from a large, single parent family of low socioeconomic status which is non-supportive of the student's school career. Finally, the students in this group have parents with low-educational level and little involvement in school matters. For the sample in general, the study shows the Mexican-American high-school graduate to be a good student with high aspirations. While some of the at-risk characteristics are useful in differentiating between high- and low-achievement there is doubt about their usefulness in predicting that a student will dropout.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of selected student background variables and traits with academic persistence of first-time, full-time, Native American students enrolled at a major Southwestern university from the 1988 to 1990 school years. The predictors associated with persistence of Native American students were identified by use of the Student Information Form, a survey questionnaire devised by Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP, 1990). The survey was administered during each Fall semester Freshmen Orientation to a total of 275 Native American students, 147 of whom voluntarily returned the questionnaire. Of this group, 83 questionnaires constituted the sample. The research centered on an examination of probability for six predictors and five psychological characteristics with academic persistence used as a dependent variable. The six predictors were: (1) high school grade point average, (2) American College Test (ACT) scores, (3) residence status, (4) parental income, (5) parental education, and (6) financial aid. The Logistic Regression Analysis was utilized to analyze data, and the obtained findings indicated that there was no significant correlation between Native American students' high school grade point average, ACT scores, parental income, parental education, residency, or financial aid and their academic persistence at a Southwestern university between 1988 to 1990. The analyses suggested a significant correlation between remaining at a university for four or more semesters and leadership, attitude, and values, and future goals. These three factors appeared to be the best predictors of academic persistence for Native American students.

This research project has been designed as an initial exploratory survey of dropouts from graduate schools of social work. The target population was those students who had dropped from graduate schools of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The time frame covered a three year period from 1970 to 1972. The data was gathered through the development and administration of a survey instrument in questionnaire form.

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