Participation in higher education affords low-income students with a pathway out of poverty. The federally funded Upward Bound program aims to improve the college-going rate of low-income and first-generation students. Relevant studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the program. There is a gap in the research regarding whether some types…

Research on first-generation college students' (FGCS) is centered around cultural, demographic, and personal characteristics and structural barriers that adversely impact their persistence and graduation from postsecondary institutions. Literature is limited in its examination of how FGCS' utilize their personal strengths and assets, institutional…

The High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program is an out-of-school-time (OST) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program that aims to encourage and inspire Texas high school students to pursue STEM degrees and careers. The program gives Texas high school juniors the opportunity to participate in an interactive online…

School districts looking for ways to minimize summer learning loss have implemented a variety of programs to combat this problem. Since No Child Left Behind and the need for school districts to meet the goals of Adequate Yearly Progress, it is no longer enough to limit summer learning loss. Now school leaders find it necessary to use the summer…