I have read elsewhere that students will only stay in school until they meettheir personal goals. How do we get students to reasses their goals and decide to stay?

I think what happens in the classroom is the biggest factor in retention. If students can't find meaning in what they are being taught they will leave. What classroom techniques have you used to keep the material fresh and meaningful to the students?

I find that team games work as well with adults as with children. Does anyone have suggestions for games that have been used successfully in the classrooom with adult learners?

In some task oriented classes, like computer skills, older students are reluctant to try new things on their own. Would pairing older students with younger students help get them involved or reinforce their feeling of being too old to learn new things?

Faculty are the "front line" in dealing with student issues that lead to withdrawl. Too many times teachers don't want to be involved with anything that is not directly related to subject matter. I think providing incentives might be one way to get teachers involved outside their subject area.

I frequently make myself available for students to discuss their classes and grades. I find the students who usually take advantage of this are the ones that least need guidance. How do we get the ones most in need of guidance and academic conseling to take advantage of the opportunites to do so?

I wonder if on occassion a teacher tends to see things in students that aren't really there. They project their own emotions, motivations, biases and so forth on to the student. This then colors the teachers perception of the student. Students have plenty of baggage of their own to deal with. Should we be doing somthing to help teachers recognize this tendency to project?

There is an ongoing discussion at my school about the value of preadmission testing. I think it would be a good way to screen for at risk students. We could then focus our retention efforts according to liklyhood of withdrawl. Any thoughts?