Over the past few years, college enrollments have increased dramatically across the United States. Over this same time period, an educational task force reports that the number of students dropping out of college has significantly increased. A college newspaper reports on these results by stating, "In an effort to meet the demand of more students, it appears that colleges and universities are not providing the same level of support for students to graduate as they were a few years ago."
What would be a more appropriate or valid measure for this comparison?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Comparing the percentage of students dropping out from a few years ago to the percent dropping out this year would be a more appropriate measure because it would account for the increase in overall enrollment. This would give a better indication of whether the dropout rate is increasing at a disproportionate rate to the increase in enrollment, indicating a lack of support for students to graduate.

Over the Past Few Years, College Enrollments Have Increased Dramatically