Alex Ramadanis holds master’s degrees in both special education/childhood education and school administration, supervision, and leadership. A strong proponent of higher education, Alex Ramadanis serves as an adjunct professor at both Queens College and Westchester Community College in New York.

A new study has found that more high school graduates are attending college than ever before. However, 20 percent of these students leave school before they complete their degrees.

According to the Department of Education, the rate of high school graduates who immediately enroll in a higher education program has risen from 63 percent in 2000 to 70 percent today. The retention rate, which is the number of full-time freshmen who return for their sophomore year, has seen negligible improvement, or in the case of private, for-profit colleges and universities, has slightly decreased since 2011.

In response, colleges have doubled their recruiting efforts and provided students with degree-oriented resources such as Degree Works, a website that informs students of the requirements they have satisfied for their degree and what work remains. Specialized resources include Personal Achievement Through Help (PATH), which works exclusively with black male students.