Retention, part 1

Today, I stumbled across a good article that raised my eyebrows. A big issue from the college's administrative stand-point seems to be (internationally!) retention. This article broke down what the barriers were to continuous enrollment. Like with anything else, if you can identify the problem then perhaps you can find a practical way to address it.

In this post I am just going to lay out the barriers and percentages. Perhaps you can take a little time and consider the things that hold you back from performingly academically. Consider them as thoroughly as you can while you examine the statistics below. Ask yourself, how can this prevent me from going to class this week? In the next post we'll consider solutions to these barriers.

"Caring for children ranks the highest of all the barriers (43%). This is followed closely by a lack of money (42%). Other barriers include lack of employer support (31%), inconvenient location of the college (32%), lack of transportation (26%), unhappiness with evening class time (19%), difficulty with program requirements (17%), unhappiness with Saturday schedule (16%), difficulty with the English language (9%), lack of spousal support (8%), caring for elderly parents (8%), caring for grandparents/elderly relatives (6%), lack of time (6%), lack of peer support (5%), and attendance policy (1%)."

Remember, we're not alone with these issues. Sleep on 'em and I'll discuss some practical solutions tomorrow. A little careful planning and a lot of enthusiasm go a long way!