A Community Research Guide to Student Persistence: Research-based Strategies to Improve Student Persistence

My experience with student persistence and wraparound services began in 1984 when I was about to graduate from South Bend Lasalle High School. Similar to many young African American men I had a bigoted high school counselor tell my Mother and I that I wasn’t college material. Well through assistance from a wraparound service program called Groups (recommended by an African American male school counselor) not only did I attend college, I obtained a four year degree, Masters and Doctorate. That experience led me to work in the area of student persistence/wraparound services and led me to writing my Doctoral Dissertation on Student Persistence/wraparound services with a focus on non-traditional students. Over the years I’ve helped many non-traditional students graduate from community college, Universities and Graduate School. Our non-traditional students are more than capable of educational excellence when provided the proper educational environment and support services.

The research in my book,” A Community Research Guide to Student Persistence "provides a blueprint for student persistence, student success and personal development that was based on research data that extrapolated the community support and resources students needed to show educational growth and persist to graduation.

The use of wraparound services to improve student persistence is not a new concept. Wraparound Services are basically any resources or activity an organization or individual provides to assist a student to persist to graduation, professionally develop or grow academically. Some examples of these resources are tutoring, food assistance, professional development, mentoring/coaching, life skills, financial assistance/financial education and socialization skills.

Unfortunately, most wraparound service programs only look good on paper, are under funded and lack application and follow through. In addition, many of the programs lack the resources and personnel capable of building the necessary relationships to achieve the academic and professional development goals and results. I know investing in wraparound services works because I’ve experienced them working in programs like the Police Athletic League, Job Corps, community college wraparound services, and by K-12 educators in our classrooms.

Wraparound Services are everything we do as educators, educational institutions and parents that help students persist to graduation. All K-12 and higher education students must be socialized and be actively guided through the steps of this process.

My 2018 research on student persistence and wraparound services identified key strategies from successful student's who persisted and were interviewed about how we as a community could assist our students in succeeding in K-12 and higher education.

• tutoring is essential,
• motivation is not inherent and must be fostered,
• coaching can promote persistence,
• overcoming social and academic barriers promotes the motivation to stay on track,
• life assistance helps grow financial stability,
• resources and services help students achieve stability,
• professor/teacher support encourages participation in social and academic activities and maintains confidence, and
• use of wraparound services is need driven and helps student persistence.