The perceived disadvantage faced by high school students from rural areas in pursuing higher education is often associated with the fact that these areas are by default affected by socio-economic disadvantages. The analysis of the results from the high school baccalaureate examination for Romania, which is mandatory for admission to higher…

Obtaining a postsecondary certificate or degree has been correlated with improved job opportunities, increased earning capacity, and better overall quality of life. Despite these benefits, a considerable proportion of students from rural schools exhibit a lower likelihood of pursuing postsecondary education than their urban counterparts. The…

Rural students enroll in college at lower rates than nonrural students. This has been partially attributed to lower average socioeconomic status (SES) in rural areas. However, this assertion tends to ignore heterogeneity that may mask how SES shapes rural students' college-going experiences. Utilizing a geography of opportunity framework, this…

This study used newly collected survey data from the Perceptions of Educational Barrier Scale -- Revised (PEB-R; Gibbons, 2005) to examine the reported educational barriers of students who are currently enrolled at the University of Midwest and who graduated from one of the five designated rural high schools in Forest County, Illinois. The…

I examined the relationship between career readiness and academic success among a sample of approximately 500 11th grade students from selected rural school districts in South Carolina. There is limited research regarding the relationship between career readiness and academic success. I used R2W assessments to measure career readiness and the…

The purpose of this concurrent mixed methods action research study was to investigate the impact of new technology-enhanced Dual Enrollment (DE) math courses on students' perception of college courses, the influence the technology-enhanced DE had on students' intention of going to college, and the students' perception of the technology-enhanced DE…

Objective: We wanted to identify factors associated with pre-nursing student retention and success at a small, rural two-year institution in South Carolina. Method: Transcript analysis generated a dataset for pre-nursing students (N = 125). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze high school and university data. Results:…

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to understand how a knowledge-building intervention changes the perception of rural high school juniors on the perception of staying local for college after high school. This study also investigates the ways in which participants used their social capital to begin to change the stigma of…

The charter school movement encompasses many school models. In Massachusetts in the 2010's, the site of our study, urban charter schools primarily used "No Excuses" practices, whereas nonurban charters had greater model variety. Using randomized admissions lotteries, we estimate the impact of charter schools by locality on college…

Rural schools and communities across the United States are increasingly diverse--linguistically, racially, and culturally. As rural schools experience this diversity, the need for well-prepared educators (teachers, leaders, counselors, and coaches) has continued to grow. This three-year study consisted of a place-conscious educator professional…

This qualitative, single-subject case study examines a transgender pre-service teacher's experiences completing an educator preparation program (EPP) in a predominantly rural region in the southeast United States. The purpose of this case study is to describe and understand a transgender pre-service teacher's experiences in finding and completing…

Rural students graduate from high school at higher rates but go to college at lower rate than their urban and suburban peers. To take on the educational attainment challenge for rural students, we need to know more about postsecondary encouragement programs. This study examined a pilot postsecondary encouragement program in 11 rural high schools…

Making decisions about college can be challenging for rural students. Guidance counselors and other adults influence these decisions because of their close relationships in high schools and communities. Since rural students are coached into pursuing college as a mechanism for obtaining a better life, it is beneficial to explore their lived…

Rural students in the United States have a lower likelihood of entering and completing college compared with their non-rural peers, despite strong high school graduation rates. Postsecondary attendance and degree attainment gaps observed across geographic regions present equity and access concerns in the high school-to-higher education pipeline.…

Nationwide, rural students enroll in and graduate from college at lower rates than their non-rural peers. Closing this gap in rural college access matters because individuals with a college education experience higher average earnings and lower rates of unemployment relative to their peers without a college credential. State financial aid programs…