Objective: To investigate the effectiveness, from a system's perspective, of offering group counseling options in college counseling centers. Methods: We achieve this through a data-driven simulation-based approach with the aim of providing administrators with a quantitative tool that informs their decision-making process. Results: Our simulation…

The efficacy of the CTE curriculum and program delivery can be affected by both internal and external factors. In an effort for community colleges to improve graduation and retention rates, institutions are developing enrollment and retention strategies that involve scheduling options. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was…

As COVID-19 continues to impact various business sectors, university administrators have steadily pushed for all academic units to resume on campus operations and activities; conversely, faculty and students have expressed increased interest in continuing online teaching/learning. We aim to mitigate this "tug-of-war" between…

The impact of remote and hybrid work on American life has led to a growing interest in applying similar flexibility to education. This case study explores the concept of flex-based learning. It is a model that blends in-person and at-home instruction to provide a customizable and personalized education experience for students. Flex-based learning…

Purpose/Objectives: Special diets are increasingly common in child nutrition programs. However, recent data on the types and frequency of accommodations and policies that districts use to make them are limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the type and number of special diets and current policies and practices for accommodating…

The Pandemic has affected the success rates among students in Higher Education. In general, Higher Education success rates are typically lower among minority groups. Considering the Pandemic effects in Hispanic Serving Institutions, this research study will focus on understanding the impact of the pandemic on currently enrolled undergraduate…

This article describes how Nancy Jo Lambert, a school librarian, implemented a flexible library schedule at elementary schools in which she worked collaboratively with classroom teachers. After observing students removing bookmarks from the middle of their books in order to turn the books in by the due date or because their fixed library schedule…

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced many changes in the lives of our students and families. In this article, the responses of students in criminal justice classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 252 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: jobs and job related,…

Last spring, the Covid-19 pandemic upended routines for over 56 million students and challenged more than 3.7 million teachers in over 130,000 schools nationwide to continue educating kids in an online format. This transition to "virtual learning" was understandably trying for all educators, schools, and districts, but some managed to do…

Rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series completion among adolescent Hispanic females in Texas in 2014 (~39%) lag behind the Healthy People 2020 goal (80%). This qualitative study identifies Hispanic mothers' salient behavioral, normative and control beliefs regarding having their adolescent daughters complete the vaccine series.…

Research shows a math achievement gap for at-risk and economically-disadvantaged students in the United States. To address this issue, a Texas school district implemented a 90-minute math block-scheduling program with 8th grade students. Shaped by the academic learning time and social justice theories, the purpose of this quantitative program…

Universities and colleges have developed an over-reliance on adjunct faculty, and as a result, researchers have begun to study adjunct faculty satisfaction as it relates to their working conditions. Current research indicates that professional development is a source that can contribute to satisfaction at work (Hoyt, 2012). However, the research…

As with other student populations community colleges serve, part-time students often face multiple challenges that present additional barriers to completion, including unfamiliarity with the college experience, parenthood, and food and housing insecurity. Community colleges have historically opened their doors to all those interested in pursuing…

This paper is the first to investigate the costs of institution-wide reforms at community colleges. Drawing on data from 12 community colleges implementing comprehensive guided pathways reforms, I use the ingredients method to analyze the resources required to implement such reforms and examine their feasibility and affordability, as well as their…

Higher education often operates under old rules -- rules that continue despite an increasingly diverse student population and improved understanding of human behavior and choice. Under these old rules, fewer than half of students graduate on time, if at all, and troubling equity gaps exist based on income, race, and ethnicity. It is time for new…