Student parents face many challenges to accessing, persisting, and completing postsecondary education. While some of these challenges are unique to student parents--such as finding quality child care during class and work hours and juggling studying and academic assignments with parenting duties--others are typical of low-income and underserved…

Program evaluation in the fields of second language acquisition (SLA) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) has a history dating from the 1960's. The focus of previous program evaluations has been on language achievement at the end of the program of study (Lynch, 1996). However, to improve or maintain program quality, teacher…

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) created the grades 1-12 Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) in response to district interest in the Early Warning Indicator Index (EWII) that the Department previously created for rising grade 9 students. Districts shared that the EWII data were helpful, but also…

In order for the United States to maintain its global competitiveness, the long-term success of our engineering students in specific courses, programs, and colleges is now, more than ever, an extremely high priority. Numerous studies have focused on factors that impact student success, namely academic performance, retention, and/or graduation.…

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in understanding the levels and trends in high school graduation in the U.S. A big and influential literature has argued that the "true" high school graduation rate remains at an unsatisfactory level, and that the graduation rates for minorities (Blacks and Hispanics) are alarmingly low. In this…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of completion of a self-regulated learning course on long-term academic outcomes of undergraduate students from a university program to support underprepared undergraduate students. These students were compared to a group of students from the same program who were carefully selected to be…

This study examined the relationship between programs in Career Technology and Agriculture Education (CTAE) utilized by a school district in northern Georgia and the relative effect the programs had on high school graduation. Career technology and agriculture education (CTAE) programs engage students and prepare them for college or career…

As policymakers consider strategies to increase college completion and further economic growth, it is critical that statewide longitudinal data systems be viewed as a necessary tool. This report highlights the role of data systems in improving the completion of postsecondary education, and provides recommendations and tangible examples for…

Using a sample of predominantly middle-class African American adolescents and parents (N = 424), the authors tested a path model linking parental expectations for children's future educational attainment, youths' motivation during Grade 11, and youths' subsequent on-time postsecondary educational progress. Parents' expectations were positively…

This qualitative study of 11 Black male students who entered a public historically Black college and university (HBCU) as academically under-prepared and persisted to graduation, provides insight into the ways in which family promotes academic success for Black male students at a public HBCU. The study's findings encourage practitioners at HBCUs…

Maintaining America's productivity as a nation depends importantly on developing a highly qualified cadre of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and other professionals. To realize that objective requires a system of schooling that produces students with advanced math and science skills. To see how well schools in the United States do at…

An increasing number of higher education learners are using online learning. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine non-traditional learners' perceptions and experiences of online learning at a public Historically Black College or University (HBCU). This study examined learners' interactivity with peers, teachers,…

Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) is a national not-for-profit organization with a 30-year tested and proven model to cost effectively prevent school dropout among young people facing challenges of staying in school through graduation, pursuing postsecondary education and/or securing quality entry-level jobs. JAG stakeholders passionately believe…

This study explores students' perceptions of the paths to high school graduation using an ecological framework. Specifically, it identifies the challenges, influences, and motivations differentiating students who remained in school despite being at high risk for dropping out--defined as consistently high levels of aggression--from students at low…

This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates in 2007, provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last 3 decades (1972-2007), and examines the characteristics of high school dropouts…