Student Retention Is A Priority For Public And Private Institutions Of Higher Education

Minorities are a growing segment of the population. However, this group continues to be underrepresented in the area of post secondary education. Obtaining an advanced degree remains a likely predictor of future career success. The problem facing the minority student is that barriers persist which continue to hinder enrollment, retention, and graduation rates in institutions of higher education. These barriers must be identified and examined and solutions offered if college completion rates are to be increased for this population.

Elementary schools and high schools across the U.S. have lately suffered from financial strain. Because of this, budget cuts have to be made and music programs often suffer before sports and academics. Although some people believe that music is not a key component in preparing for employment and higher education, yet several others express otherwise, who say music has been shown to stimulate other parts of a student’s mind that can help them excel. Statistics have shown that the correlation between music class and other academia is not only positive for students, but also can improve future scholastic abilities, and thus should not be cut from schools. Through the evaluation of various sources

“First-generation” is a commonly known term, yet most people do not actually know the extent of being a student who is the first in their family to go to college. The majority of the general population assumes that in order to be considered first generation, a students’ parents must never have attended college before. However, this is not always the case. The University of Florida defines first-generation as students whose parents never earned a bachelor’s degree. Therefore, a student can be considered first generation if their parents have an associate’s degree. Regardless of the definition, a first-generation student’s major issue is staying enrolled in college.

* “”Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts

Staff members like Janice Stone do not have a lot of information about how the time commitment to the band affects student’s lives. But, Stone believes that being in the band does not student’s academic greatly since budgeting one’s time is important.

Student involvement has been identified in some cases as positive factor in African American male retention. Astin (2003) emphasized the psychological and behavioral dimensions of being involved on campus and underscored the importance of involvement to student retention and persistence. To contrast, Flowers (2006) found that Black men were less integrated academically and socially than their same race counterparts in four-year institutions, indicating a need to increase campus engagement for Black male community college students.

Music is an essential part of today’s culture, especially here at the University of Delaware. There is a wide variety of activities to get involved in on campus, from instrumental ensembles to choruses and everything in between. There are also several options for majors involving music. Overall, there are many options for each and every student at the University of Delaware to pursue their passions, and to expand their college education to studies that consist of more than could be learned from books, lectures, and laboratory work. This was the ultimate goal for Rodney Sharp, a very significant man who invested a lot of time and money in the school.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists (2003), each year, schools retain as many as 15% or more than 2.4 million American students. Other studies found that between 30% and 50% of all students experience retention at least once by the time they are freshman in high school (Robertson, 2001). For students in urban districts, the estimated retention rate is approximately 50%. The National Center for Education Statistics (2006), estimated that the number of students retained at least once in their school career ranged from 10% to 20%... Of those retained, black students experienced retention more than twice as much as white students, and boys twice as much as girls. The controversial practice of grade retention is a concern

Many institutions face challenges retaining and graduating community college students. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators need work together to find ways to help these students succeed. Through the use of the Achieving the Dream initiative, the organization can help community colleges and their students to stay with their school and become successful academically and professionally.

Throughout the past year, I have observed students at various levels at the DSR, and consistently witness the power of the unparalleled education and experience the students are receiving, whether the student is five years old, or fifty. The classes that occur every week are more than just music classes; music is the core of a joyful and hugely influential way to educate and enrich the lives of those students who are involved.

Conclusion: In conclusion it is evident that student retention is dependent on the personal success of

Many colleges and universities throughout the United States and several other countries face a common problem. Student retention is a growing problem across the nation for all ethnic groups and all ages. Each individual who chooses to drop out of school has their own personal reasons as to why they do. However, many drops out can be completely avoided. When students drop out they are not clearly thinking about how it’s going to affect their future, the future of their children and even grandchildren. Although there are several reasons as to why students drop out of school, we will be exploring a few as it relates to why student retention is a growing problem.

The topic I chose to research and discuss is the topic of recruiting and retaining the best employees. I chose this subject because I felt it was important for an employer trying to compete in this very competitive business environment, no matter what the business is, to be able not only hire the best and most qualified employees but retain them and keep them motivated. The ability to distinguish the difference between high performing employees and lower performing employees can be detrimental to a company’s success or failure. In retrospect, this goes back to recruiting and retaining the best employees while avoiding and being able to let go of those of a weaker caliber. Before an organization can thrive in recruitment and retention,

Many people believe that the arts, specifically music programs, hold no beneficial value to students other than for an extracurricular activity. Others believe that having these programs within our schools, only takes away from instructional time. However, research has shown that music education, and exposure to music in general, provides great benefits and values to the adolescents that are involved in said programs (“Music Matters”). Participation in music programs promotes the advancement of academic scores and sets students on the path to success later in life. Furthermore, these programs, be it instrumental or vocal, provide an outlet for adolescents to express themselves and have truly lasting implications on their global development. Notwithstanding all of the pleasure and self-confidence gained through participation in music programs, music education may provide important benefits towards students’ academics by improving their concentration levels and cultivating higher order thinking skills that may increase academic achievement.

The stigma associated with pursuing an education in the musical arts affects the decision of many musicians nationwide. The appeal of guaranteed financial and career stability of STEM and other paths of high demand jobs is very difficult to pass up, even by the most dedicated musicians. Then, the input and advice of outsiders come into play. These onlookers not only encourage study of the hard sciences and a foolproof path to success via university, but they also totally and blatantly discourage and belittle the intelligence, rationality and integrity of not just the paths of musicians, but all liberal artists. Don’t you want to make money? What do you mean you won’t have internships, don’t you want a job? How are you going to survive? This blitzkrieg of questioning and doubt, though theoretically peripheral to the bigger picture, is reasonably common, however, severely unjustified. Pursuing a formal college education in music is easily one of the best things you could do for yourself, regardless of whether or not this is the career path of your choosing. As a student of formal music education, you are actually being trained in more real world skills than most other majors, which will prepare you for many careers, making you stand-out amongst the masses. Being a music major, you learn more than just music, you learn problem-solving skills, how to communicate and collaborate, and how to overcome failure, which are all essential skills to have as a professional in today’s day