MORE GUIDANCE, BETTER RESULTS?

sure that students complete the requirements needed to enroll in four-yearcolleges or universities• Academic supports, such as tutoring, remedial assistance, and time managementand study skills training• Personal guidance and counseling, which can consist of crisis intervention,information and referral, mental health counseling, life skills counseling,mentoring or coaching, and peer support• Career counseling, which encompasses aptitude assessments, development ofcareer plans, and sharing of information on careers and their skill requirements• Supplemental services, such as child care subsidies or vouchers, transportationtokens or passes, and book and supply vouchers, that help students pursuean educationTheory of ChangeDiscussed here is the logic behind how student services might lead to increases in students’likelihood of succeeding academically. The focus is on the potential of student servicesboth to help students integrate into campus life and to provide accurate information so thatstudents can make well-informed decisions.Analyses by Tinto that focus on why students do or do not leave institutions of highereducation before completion provide interesting clues about the possible role of student servicesin promoting educational success. Building on theories that attempt to explain the individual,societal, and environmental factors that contribute to departure in many different contexts, Tintohas developed a framework for understanding student attrition from postsecondary institutions.10 He concludes that a very broad array of factors affect students’ decisions to stay inpostsecondary institutions or to exit institutions before completion. Tinto asserts that it isimportant to examine how the larger system of academic and social forces can help or hinderacademic progress. 11 Although four-year and community college students continue to beinvolved in many off-campus experiences and relationships, their interactions with the postsecondaryinstitution — for instance, the level and nature of their involvement with faculty,staff, peer groups, and extracurricular activities — become very important aspects of their livesafter enrollment.10 Tinto (1993), as cited in Purnell and Blank (2004).11 Tinto (1993), as cited in Purnell and Blank (2004).5