Despite many theories on student success as well as many resources to help students make the transition from high school to college, many students do not persist in or graduate from college. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide insight into what takes place when students leave P-12 institutions and enter institutions of higher education…

As Australian institutions shift towards widening participation in higher education, recent research has strengthened the notion that institutions must challenge their own values to find ways of recognising and sharing the values of more diverse cohorts. This pilot study acknowledges the call for universities to move 'away from the notion that it…

A new module designed to ease the transition from school to university was devised and implemented at Cardiff University School of Chemistry. Two iterations of the module are described, both of them conducted under restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic regulations. Over a two-week period, students attended 15 different sessions, each designed…

The current high school schedule is more of an advanced version of middle school than it is a preparation for college/university life. The general structure of the high school day is introduced by the time a student reaches sixth (6th) grade. The continued pattern of dipping back into previous levels of school leaves high school students with…

Previous research has identified "UPGRADE Your Performance" as a method for teaching employment soft skills to students with disabilities. "UPGRADE Your Performance" instruction is a multicomponent intervention including self-evaluation, self-graphing, goal setting, and technology-aided instruction. This pilot study…

This study provides a template for and impact from an Asset, Capacity-Based (Altschuld, 2015) needs assessment focused on undergraduate student success. The purpose of this study is: (1) to provide a template and foundation for institutions to follow in gaining a depth of understanding of student needs and assets, as well as institutional…

Many high school seniors envision walking up the marble steps and entering through the historic arched front door of a stately, column-lined, academic building on the first day of college. Or perhaps the building is a new, state of the art, technology laden, donor-funded building. But, these ideal visions generally do not include waking up early…

This study aimed to explore the relationship between high school transition preparation and student involvement and integration in college among first-year college students with disabilities. One hundred fifty-eight freshmen with disabilities were recruited from a southeastern university in U.S. The findings reveal that high school transition…

Many colleges are pursuing innovative alternative approaches for the development of education that aims to accelerate students' progress in gaining important academic competencies. Summer bridge programs are one such approach. These bridge programs offer underprepared and at-risk students the opportunity to advance toward college-level coursework…

In partnership with state vocational rehabilitation and special education agencies, a local university contributed interprofessional expertise in low vision rehabilitation to an established pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) program (Coduti, Herbert, Chiu, & Doke, 2017). This program was established to provide high school students…

WestEd is undertaking a multiyear series of implementation studies intended to inform the California State University (CSU) system about the implementation of Executive Order 1110 (EO 1110). A major policy adopted by the CSU Chancellor's Office in 2017, EO 1110 requires CSU campuses to eliminate non-credit developmental courses in Written…

Retention of students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major has been studied for four cohorts participating in a summer bridge program supported by the National Science Foundation. Students participated in a 6-week program prior to their first term of enrollment at a research-intensive land grant university. Comparisons…

Minnesota leaders have worked hard to provide educational opportunities and employment services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The timely formation of pepnet 2 helped shape Minnesota's State Transition Team to "better prepare teachers, families, and students for transition from high school to independent living, employment,…

We describe the structure of a writing-intensive, chemistry first year seminar designed to support a three week, research focused summer bridge program. Writing assignments in the seminar helped students understand their research activities, learn to conduct themselves as scientists, and reflect upon their lab work. The writing intensive seminar…

Purpose: The purpose of this interpretive case study is to examine the assumptions underpinning one Upward Bound program to understand how the program attempts to increase educational opportunity for poor urban youth and how this approach plays out in the lived experiences of three young men who participate in the program. Research Design: This…