This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of at-risk college students who become honors students. There is much quantitative research on the factors that influence or predict the path of at-risk students becoming honors students. What is less well established in literature is what personal transformation occurs in the lives of students…

While earning a high school diploma is a critical educational milestone for students, research has shown that obtaining a college degree further equalizes opportunities and increases their upward mobility. To be eligible to apply for the University of California system, students must take 15 college-preparatory courses during their high school…

Prior research underscores the pivotal role high school freshman grade-point averages (FGPA) play in college enrollment, with a focus predominantly on urban settings. This study broadens this perspective, employing a diverse Arkansas sample (n = 33,207), spanning rural, suburban, and urban high school students and filling a notable literature gap.…

Due to the model minority myth, scant attention has been given to the college preparation of Asian American (AA) students. Using the national sample of High School Longitudinal Study of 2009-2013, this study examined associations among student-counselor interactions, school connectedness, and college enrollment of AA students. The results of the…

Academic performance of male student-athletes who participate in revenue-producing sports is typically lower than that of other athletes and non-athletes at the collegiate level. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of high school teachers in core academic classes who educate these students. The goal of this…

In 2016, the GED® introduced college readiness benchmarks designed to identify testers who are academically prepared for credit-bearing college coursework. The benchmarks are promoted as awarding college credits or exempting "college-ready" GED® graduates from remedial coursework. I show descriptive evidence that those identified as…

Today's college and career-ready standards emphasize developing students' ability to interpret and analyze complex texts and to assert and defend claims relating to those texts in extended pieces of writing. By providing secondary English language arts teachers with professional development and instructional materials, the UC Irvine Writing…

Early colleges are high schools that blend the high school and college experiences. They have been shown to increase college enrollment and completion; however less is known about the costs of the early college model relative to traditional high schools. We leverage randomized assignment of North Carolina students to early colleges to estimate the…

The article covers the issues concerning the levels and criteria of preparatory department students' understanding of the scientific text. Teaching scientific language presupposes work with scientific texts at a language proficiency level of A1. When teaching how to work with the scientific text, one should consider its pragmatic, contents and…

In 2013, an art college in a large Northeastern city in the United States launched the Art College Scholars (ACS) program in response to the growing exclusion of high-achieving, low-income students from higher education, and a need to diversify the pool of art and design school applicants. The 3-year ACS program offers 80 hours of art and design…

"Early Colleges as a Model for Schooling" advocates for early college high schools as an effective means of reducing academic, cultural, and financial obstacles to postsecondary education. This perceptive work evaluates, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impacts of early colleges--hybrids that blend elements of secondary and…

In 2009, President Barack Obama challenged U.S. citizens to complete more schooling and earn a college degree. His goal was to increase the proportion of the population with a college credential and the United States' associated rank in the world from 12th to first by 2020 (Field, 2015; Obama, 2009). In response to this challenge, several…

This dissertation evaluates the effects of three development interventions on female education in Afghanistan: (1) effects of foreign military withdrawal on females' demand for higher education; (2) impacts of PEZAK, a community-driven university entrance preparation, on student enrollment and performance in tertiary education; and (3) long-term…

Mathematics preparatory workshops were offered to college students at a diverse urban undergraduate institution. The goal was to prepare students for their mathematics course, by offering non-credit bearing and free preparatory workshops. The lack of adequate preparation for mathematics courses is a barrier for student engagement in future STEM…

As the Hispanic/Latin* population in the United States experiences rapid growth, a concerning decline in college completion rates among these students demands further investigation. This study aims to establish an understanding of historical disparities that pervade the provision of advanced education and experiences, which consequently impact…