Postsecondary education (PSE) has increasingly become a requirement in today's global economy and has subsequently been an important topic of discussion at all levels of education across the United States. Policymakers and education practitioners continue to search for ways to help students prepare for next steps after high school. One potential…

As postsecondary developmental education policy reforms are implemented, increased attention must be given to students with learning and attention disabilities. The purpose of this study was to bring these students into the conversation, by examining their representation in developmental education broadly, as well the effect of this intervention…

This study examined the relationship between dual enrollment and postsecondary enrollment and persistence for subgroups of rural/town and city/suburb students. Analyzing data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) of 2009, I used multinomial logistic regression to determine whether dual enrollment participation was associated with…

Many students work during college to offset rising costs, but significant time on the job affects postsecondary outcomes. Analyzing the High School Longitudinal Study (N = 4,418), this article estimates the effects of hours worked on grades, credits earned, persistence, stopping out (i.e., unenrolling for 5 months before reenrolling), and dropping…

This study focuses on the disparities between the educational aspirations and expectations of high school students in the U.S., and explores why students do not expect to earn a bachelor's degree despite their aspirations. Using a national dataset and logistic/multinomial logistic regression analyses, the study identified the factors associated…

This study explored the transition from secondary to postsecondary education among a national sample of students who had or had not studied music in high school. Using evidence from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, a nationally representative longitudinal study of 21,440 American high school students who were ninth graders in the…

Background: Developmental education (i.e., remedial education) has come under scrutiny given evidence that it is ineffective for learning or hinders students' progress toward degree completion (Scott-Clayton & Rodriguez, 2014; Xu & Dadgar, 2018). However, there is heterogeneity in the effect of developmental education, with positive…

This study assessed online credit recovery programs' effectiveness in addressing "the Dropout Problem" in the United States, providing 1) a profile of school culture (behaviors) associated with successful online credit recovery programs, 2) a basis for needed student support and teacher training improvements. The effectiveness of online…

Queer people continue to feel the effects of queer oppression in higher education and beyond, including unique financial challenges. The price of being queer is troubling in a world ordered around capitalism and heteronormative privilege. The purpose of this paper is to examine the financial landscape for queer students and call for a robust…

Dual enrollment, where students take college classes while in high school, is a promising strategy to increase postsecondary access and attainment. Dual enrollment may be particularly important for rural students, who often have limited access to advanced coursework and are less likely to attend college. However, little is known about how dual…

Underrepresented minority (URM) students are at elevated risks for dropping out of school and lower academic achievement. Factors that contribute to such challenges begin early (e.g., childhood poverty) and compound throughout one's lifetime. Nonetheless, research that explores challenges faced by URMs typically focus on contemporary issues (e.g.,…

This study examines the relationship between mathematics dispositions and the mathematics achievement of Black students. The study aims to elucidate the acute effects of mathematics dispositions, such as identity, self-efficacy, interest, and utility, on the mathematics Grade Point Averages (GPAs) and credits earned by Black students. A canonical…

Access to school counseling services leads to access to college-readiness counseling initiatives, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education-focused counseling for students. School counselor caseload and percentage of time spent on college-readiness counseling were analyzed in relation to longitudinal STEM…

Ensuring that students are ready for college when they graduate from high school has important implications for students, educators, education policymakers, and other stakeholders. This study focuses on an examination of the relationship between the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) grade 12 mathematics assessment and college…

The current study utilized the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, from the National Center for Education Statistics, to conduct a longitudinal investigation into how access to school counseling impacts postsecondary outcomes. Findings indicate that school counselor time spent college readiness counseling, in addition to lower student…