MORE STRATEGIES FOR RETENTION

Recent annual reports of withdrawals in Adult Basic Education programs throughout the United States indicate that LACK OF INTEREST ranks highest in the known reasons for withdrawals from ABE programs. The seriousness of the problem of retention reflects how important it is for instructors, recruiters and administrative staff to work in a team effort to get and hold the interest of those who enroll. The following retention strategies should be considered as possibilities for any adult education program.

• Congratulatory note (for enrolling)
• Follow-ups on absentees
• "We Care" flyers or cards to longer absentees
• Periodic success stories from "Graduates"
• Buddy system for attendance checks
• Informality and humor in every class
• Public programs chaired by a "Graduate"
• Coffee hours
• Surveys
• Paraprofessional visits to the home-bound
• Direct help to transfer to another level or program
• Monthly newsletters of events, success stories and news of students
• Promptness in beginning and ending class
• Class accounts of local news
• Counseling service on a regular basis
• Adult-oriented materials only
• Arrangements for car pools
• Peer planning of content
• Formal recognition of major achievements
• Informal periodic recognition of student achievements
• Active participation in learning experiences and social events
• Class visits by local politicians, professionals, role models and mentors
• Patience

Maryland State Department of Education, Basic Education: Teaching the Adult, (Owings Mills, Maryland: Division of Instructional Television, 1975) p. 286.