During the past several years, the federal and state governments have adopted a college completion agenda using graduation rates as evidence of student success. With the demand for increased accountability on colleges and universities to ensure student success, institutions of higher education are searching for more effective ways to help students…

Adult learners seeking to earn a high school equivalency (HSE), like the general education development (GED), must often overcome major difficulties to persist (Comings, 2007) and succeed academically (Hansman & Mott, 2010). Adult learners might require hundreds of hours of training in GED programs to make up for early departure in high school…

Mentoring is widely recognized as an effective approach to addressing educational needs in U.S. schools, emphasizing the importance of strong, long-term mentor-mentee relationships (Karaferye, 2018; Wood & Mayo-Wilson, 2012). These relationships can provide crucial support for youth facing social, emotional, and financial challenges (Kuperminc…

Purpose and Method of Study: This study focused on the relationship between the cost of undergraduate education (COUE) and graduation rates in four-year institutions in Oklahoma. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the cost of undergraduate education (COUE) and graduation rates at four-year higher education…

This dissertation measures and describes the factors that impact doctoral student persistence. Using a mixed methods cases study design, I analyzed institutional student record data, survey data on caregiving responsibilities, and data from semi-structured interviews with PhD students at a STEM-focused, public research university in the American…

This study uses secondary data to explore the relationship between the percentage of Latinos enrolled in a postsecondary institution and two educational outcomes: graduating within six years and total amount in student loan debt. Research on the concentration of Latino students in higher education have mostly focused on Hispanic Serving…

Community college students graduate at low rates nationwide which prevents many noncompleters from benefiting from the economic and employment advantages of a degree or certificate. Despite myriad strategies to address this problem, little is known about the impact of faculty job satisfaction on student completion. The purpose of this study was to…

This study was to create an understanding of students that were placed on academic probation to assess their shared characteristics in relation to their rate of graduation. To do this, the study group selected was a cohort of students from a ten-year time span who were placed on academic probation at a small university in northwest New Jersey.…

This study sought to examine the extent superintendent longevity relates to student performance as measured by graduation rates. Specifically, this study sought to examine how a district school superintendent's longevity provides conducive context through which student academic improvement programs, culture, and relationships could be established…

Amidst increased enrollment, economic recession, and state budget cuts to postsecondary education over the past two decades, two and four-year colleges and universities have employed a multitude of different approaches to managing resource allocation. At the crux of this issue is the internal struggle each institution faces: improving the level of…

This dissertational work provides an analysis between school leader emotional intelligence and academic achievement using selected indicators of student achievement in Alabama high schools. Emotional intelligence levels were measured by administering "The Shutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test to" willing high school principal…

College dropout crisis has become one the major problems in U.S. Higher Education. Over the past decade, universities nation-wide have been trying to better understand the specific factors that influence undergraduate degree completion and have initiated multiple educational practices to increase the quality and quantity of students they graduate.…

In an era of accountability for educational performance, community colleges should know whether student success is influenced by hiring racially diverse employees. Student interactions with diverse individuals improve student achievement on key performance indicators. This correlational study expands the limited body of knowledge on the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between funding and the attainment of a high school diploma for students with a disability in the state of Michigan. The high school graduation rate continues to remain stagnate for students with disabilities in the state of Michigan. The research examined the role of school finance and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if discipline strategies, gender, and disabilities impact the successful cohort graduation of African American students with special needs. While much research has been conducted to investigate the achievement gap and discipline gap, there is a paucity of research on how discipline affects the graduation…