Objective: The objective of this study was to create a model of English learners' (ELs) persistence based on theory and empirical research. Findings from this research informs community college educators in helping ELs persist and guide future research regarding this important student population. Method: We examined ELs' persistence using…

Objective: Traditional-age students attending a rural community college in Kentucky's Appalachian region were interviewed, along with faculty members and administrators, to identify phenomena serving as sources of encouragement or as barriers to retention from the point of entry to the point of transfer. Method: Students' perspectives were…

Community colleges play a key role in educating the large number of non-traditional, low-income, and under-prepared students who have entered higher education in the past several decades. Despite increased access, community colleges are struggling to graduate students. Most, if not all, strategies provided by scholars to improve college completion…

Based on an examination of related literature, reviews the pre- and post-enrollment characteristics of first-generation community college students, and discusses what colleges should do to help these students be successful. Asserts that while considerable research exists on first-generation students on four-year college campuses, the findings and…