The attrition rates in the college ABE literacy programs seem lower than one would have expected. Perhaps this could be explained by the fact that most people are under some kind of sponsorship and are encouraged to remain there until some identifiable goals have been met.

The turnover is likely greater in school district programs. One instructor/coordinator of a large school board said that she had noticed two things the great increase in enrolments with the abolition of fees, but subsequent decline in numbers. The interpretation was that people were curious to see what was offered and when they realized it meant work and a commitment, they left. Another observation was that school district programs provide a training ground while people wait to get into college programs. This was seen to be the case with a small sample of the Invergarry withdrawals. The curiosity-seekers can be an extra load on instructors and staff. Some people have suggested that a small registration fee deters those who are not really serious and is evidence of a commitment. At least two of the people interviewed suggested a fee. One said it would "get rid of the freeloaders." The other felt the demonstration of commitment was important. The registration fee is not the same as a tuition fee.

In a one-to-one program, coordinators may wish to discuss the pros and cons of the strategy reported by Diekhoff and Diekhoff (1984) of a waiting period after people have telephoned for an interview, in order for self-screening to take place.

We know that life circumstances and personal characteristics affect people's ability to persist in class. Practitioners may be powerless to affect the life circumstances of their students, but friendly follow-up calls and expressions of interest may help to keep learners motivated and encourage them to return when circumstances change.

Within the classrooms themselves, caring instructors and instructional strategies matter most. Students needs, wishes and expectations should be known and how those might be met through an individual learning plan and group activities needs to be explained. Students need to work on tasks which are relevant to them and in ways that are congruent with their own learning styles. Some students may need courses in study skills and time management. The differences between teaching academic literacy and stressing functional literacy tasks and needs for the ABE population have been researched and commented upon by Fagan (1990), and Hayes and Valentine (1989).