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From scholars working in a variety of institutional and geographic contexts and with a wide range of student populations, Retention, Persistence, and Writing Programs offers perspectives on how writing programs can support or hinder students’ transitions to college. The contributors present individual and program case studies, student surveys, a wealth of institutional retention data, and critical policy analysis.

Rates of student retention in higher education are a widely acknowledged problem: although approximately 66 percent of high school graduates begin college, of those who attend public four-year institutions, only about 80 percent return the following year, with 58 percent graduating within six years. At public two-year institutions, only 60 percent of students return, and fewer than a third graduate within three years. Less commonly known is the crucial effect of writing courses on these statistics.

First-year writing is a course that virtually all students have to take; thus, writing programs are well-positioned to contribute to larger institutional conversations regarding retention and persistence and should offer themselves as much-needed sites for advocacy, research, and curricular innovation. Retention, Persistence, and Writing Programs is a timely resource for writing program administrators as well as for new writing teachers, advisors, administrators, and state boards of education.

Contributors: Matthew Bridgewater, ​Cristine Busser, Beth Buyserie, Polina Chemishanova, ​Michael Day, ​Bruce Feinstein, ​Patricia Freitag Ericsson, ​Nathan Garrett, ​Joanne Baird Giordano, ​Tawanda Gipson, ​Sarah E. Harris, Mark Hartlaub, ​Holly Hassel, ​Jennifer Heinert, ​Ashley J. Holmes, ​Rita Malenczyk, ​Christopher P. Parker, ​Cassandra Phillips, ​Anna Plemons, ​Pegeen Reichert Powell, ​Marc Scott, Robin Snead, ​Sarah Elizabeth Snyder, ​Sara Webb-Sunderhaus, ​Susan Wolff Murphy

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright, Dedication
  2. pp. i-vi
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. vii-2
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  1. 1. Introduction: Retention, Persistence, and Writing: Expanding the Conversation
  2. Todd Ruecker, Dawn Shepherd, Heidi Estrem, and Beth Brunk-Chavez
  3. pp. 3-18
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  1. Part 1: Writing, Retention, and Broader Policy Contexts
  1. 2. Retention ≠ Panopticon: What WPAs Should Bring to the Table in Discussions of Student Success
  2. Rita Malenczyk
  3. pp. 21-37
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  1. 3. Beyond Coordination: Building Collaborative Partnerships to Support Institutional-Level Retention Initiatives in Writing Programs
  2. Ashley J. Holmes and Cristine Busser
  3. pp. 38-55
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  1. 4. Big Data and Writing Program Retention Assessment: What We Need to Know
  2. Marc Scott
  3. pp. 56-73
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  1. 5. The Imperative of Pedagogical and Professional Development to Support the Retention of Underprepared Students at Open-Access Institutions
  2. Joanne Giordano, Holly Hassel, Jennifer Heinert, and Cassandra Phillips
  3. pp. 74-92
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  1. 6. How Student Performance in First-Year Composition Predicts Retention and Overall Student Success
  2. Nathan Garrett, Matthew Bridgewater, and Bruce Feinstein
  3. pp. 93-113
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  1. 7. “Life Gets in the Way”: The Case of a Seventh-Year Senior
  2. Sara Webb-Sunderhaus
  3. pp. 114-132
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  1. Part 2: Writing Program Initiatives That Matter
  1. 8. Absolute Hospitality in the Writing Program
  2. Pegeen Reichert Powell
  3. pp. 135-150
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  1. 9. Retention, Critical Pedagogy, and Students as Agents: Eschewing the Deficit Model
  2. Beth Buyserie, Anna Plemons, and Patricia Freitag Ericsson
  3. pp. 151-166
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  1. 10. Reconfiguring the Writing Studio Model: Examining the Impact of the PlusOne Program on Student Performance and Retention
  2. Polina Chemishanova and Robin Snead
  3. pp. 167-184
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  1. 11. Retention Rates of Second Language Writers and Basic Writers: A Comparison within the Stretch Program Model
  2. Sarah Elizabeth Snyder
  3. pp. 185-203
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  1. 12. The Kairotic Classroom: Retention Discourse and Supplemental Instruction in the First Year
  2. Sarah E. Harris
  3. pp. 204-218
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  1. 13. Enhancing Alliances and Joining Initiatives to Help Students: The Story of How We Created Developmental Learning Communities at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
  2. Susan Wolff Murphy and Mark G. Hartlaub
  3. pp. 219-236
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  1. 14. Undergraduate Mentors as Agents of Engagement: Peer Advocates in First-Year Writing Courses
  2. Michael Day, Tawanda Gipson, and Christopher P. Parker
  3. pp. 237-256
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  1. 15. Afterword: Navigating the Complexities of Persistence and Retention
  2. Linda Adler-Kassner
  3. pp. 257-270
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  1. About the Authors
  2. pp. 271-274
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 275-278
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