National Study of Student Support Services. Interim Report : Volume 2: Profile of Freshman Participants and Project Services: 1991-92 / Margaret Cahalan and Others.

An interim report on the congressionally mandated National Study of Student Support Services (SSS) focuses on the characteristics of college freshmen program participants and on the level and type of services they receive. The federally funded grant program is designed to help economically disadvantaged students achieve success at the postsecondary level. It is intended to facilitate participating students' high school completion, entry into and completion of postsecondary education, and entry into graduate study. Study data were from a baseline survey of all freshman participants (2,800) at 28 sampled 2-year and 4-year institutions with SSS programs and detailed service records kept for a sample of freshman and non-freshman participants over the course of one academic year. Findings include the following: (1) 60 percent of SSS freshmen were either 18 or 19 years old but this proportion was lower than that found among all freshmen nationwide (90 percent); (2) 67 percent were female; (3) 41 percent were white, 38 percent were black, 22 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian, and 2 percent Native American; (4) SSS projects cost $768 per student in 1992; (5) most SSS programs offer a mix of counseling and tutoring and some involvement in instructional courses and workshops; (6) mean number of service contacts per SSS participant was 12 and mean number of hours of contact was 10; and (7) the mean grade point average for SSS students was 2.3. Appendices provide additional detail on sample methodology, the questionnaire used, and the file layout. (JB)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.