Strong communities, measured in terms of belonging, are often shown to produce positive social and educational outcomes. Although useful, this approach narrows the potential scope of the concept and inadequately measures complex communities where positive outcomes, such as student engagement, can be mixed with negative outcomes, such as social…

For decades, researchers have investigated the impact of faculty-student interaction as well as the contexts in which such interactions occur and are most productive (Astin, 1993; Kuh & Hu, 2001). Cox (2011) identified two consistent outcomes from this body of research: first, that interactions between faculty members and students have…

Understanding students' relationships with their multiple home, community, and educational environments provides a more holistic understanding of students and recognizes that many spheres of influence shape their college experiences, development, and outcomes. Ecological Systems Theory (EST) directs higher education researchers and practitioners…

Foster youth are among some of the nation's most underserved students in higher education. Of the more than 430,000 youth in the foster care system, only about 50% will graduate from high school and as little as 3% will ever earn a bachelor's degree (Pecora, 2012; Wolanin, 2005). While critically important for smoothing students' transition from…