News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 09, 2004

Lumina Foundation report reveals extraordinary efforts needed to assure student success

INDIANAPOLIS --The latest issue of Lumina Foundation Focus magazine provides an in-depth examination of the challenges of keeping postsecondary students on track toward their educational goals. The issue is now available online: http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/focus.pdf

This issue features "Refuse to lose," a detailed article by noted higher education writer Edward B. "Ted" Fiske, author of The Fiske Guide to Colleges and former education editor at the New York Times. In that article, real-life college students tell of their struggles to remain in school, and more than 20 national experts share their insights on the critical issue of student persistence.

Among the article's most important points:

It's difficult to get a true picture of persistence among college students because of "swirling behavior" - in which a student drops out of one institution but enrolls elsewhere, often multiple times.
By any measure, attrition rates are high. Even using the most generous estimates, only about 60 percent of students who enter a four-year institution with the intention of earning a bachelor's degree actually reach that goal after six years.
Persistence rates differ among different categories of students, and they are generally lower among traditionally underrepresented students (students of color, low-income students, first-generation students and students 25 years of age and older ).
The causes of student attrition are complex and interrelated, but there are certain risk factors that can help predict it. Among them: delayed enrollment, part-time enrollment, full-time employment, single parenthood, and having children under age 18.
Experts agree that "student engagement" - active, intentional and constructive involvement in campus life - contributes significantly to student retention, particularly in a student's first year.
Institutions that have shown the most success in increasing retention rates are those that have made student success part of the campus culture. They set a high standard for students, and then provide strong support services - formal and informal - to help students reach that standard.

"This issue of Lumina Foundation Focus shows clearly that it often takes extraordinary efforts to keep postsecondary students enrolled," said Martha Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. "These efforts must come from the students themselves, from the institutions they attend, and from the public policy-makers who shape the environment of higher education."

The article points out not only the challenges and obstacles, but the successes at campuses all over the nation, where much good work is being done to foster student retention and success.

"Increasing the education level of our citizens is critical for our country as our global, information-based economy requires growing numbers of college-educated workers," said Lamkin. "At the same time, statistics show that the United States is slipping behind other developed countries in the percentage of citizens who have obtained a postsecondary degree. Improving the success rates of postsecondary students is critical."

"That is why we must do all we can to keep students in school until they reach their goals. At Lumina Foundation for Education, we are committed to raising awareness about this issue and to working with those who are best situated to address it. 'Refuse to Lose' is a useful tool in that effort."

CONTACT:
Dollyne Sherman, Director of Communication
Lumina Foundation for Education
317-951-5493
dsherman@luminafoundation.org
http://www.luminafoundation.org

Lumina Foundation for Education, a private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through research, grants for innovative programs and communication initiatives, Lumina Foundation addresses issues surrounding access and success — particularly among underserved student groups, including adult learners. The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that post-secondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people.

http://www.luminafoundation.org/newsroom/index.html