Preventing Second-Year Stop-Outs
The majority of students who stop out of college do so within the first two years. This pattern has long vexed college administrators, who’ve tended to focus their efforts on first-year students in the belief that a successful first year is key to students returning to college the following years and ultimately earning a degree.
Some colleges have also started paying more attention to second-year students as a result of research showing the importance and benefits of doing so. Eleven colleges are working with the Gardner Institute, an organization focused on improving academic outcomes, student retention and college completion, as part of a new initiative to decrease stop-outs within the first two years.
“The effort is really acknowledging and focusing on the importance of the first two years of college,” said Drew Koch, chief executive officer of the Gardner Institute.
