Dear John,
  I've been working in adult literacy since 1989, and student persistence (and retention) has been a challenge in every setting I have known. Students' dropout or irregular attendance makes educational gain difficult and really frustrates teachers. I learned a lot when you and I worked together on the Wallace Funds project, where we focused on persistence among library literacy students.  There are two main strategies I have found helpful:
  1) Offer high-quality instruction in a supportive environment (There are many components of this.)
  2) Re-define success. Accept that students are going to attend classes in a way that fits into their lives and satisfies their needs.  This might not fit into staff's concept of intensity and duration of instruction--so staff have to accept a new, irregular, sporadic model of participation. 
   
  What do you think?  What do you think are the key issues, strategies, suggestions for programs and staff struggling with student persistence?
   
  From Bruce Carmel
  Turning Point
  Brooklyn, NY 
   

 		
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