Stakeholder Uses of Attrition Research

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A number of observations touched on the broader stake various elements of society have in attrition research.

Some specific roles for various stakeholder groups that emerged are described below.

• Graduate school administrators can develop attrition data and present it to departments as a tool for action.
• Disciplinary associations can encourage department chairs to think about their roles as important disciplinary leaders.
• Universities, in anticipation of increased pressure for accountability, can participate in the Graduation Rate Survey, a voluntary project conducted by NCES that is available on the World Wide Web. By participating, the institution can gain the statistical data necessary to create performance metrics.
• University research and planning offices can demonstrate that investment in research has major payoffs for various parts of the university.
• Education policymakers can use attrition data to make more informed decisions in allocating resources and setting graduate program goals.

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Go to: Suggested Citation, Acknowledgment, Workshop Disclaimer The Concern The Rationale for Attrition Research Conceptual Issues Definitional Issues Timing of Attrition Institutional Factors Current Research and Databases Future Directions for Research Data Improvements Underway Changing the Graduate Experience Stakeholder Uses of Attrition Research Caveats About Use of Attrition Data Appendix A. Workshop Speakers, Moderators, Participants, and Planners Appendix B. Workshop Program