The purpose of this case study was to examine student experiences within an established guided pathways model program that integrated a system of student support to increase on-time graduation rates. Four research questions guided the investigation: (1) How did the participants describe the college's approach to helping students enter an academic…

This professional practice dissertation is an action research study that examined the impact alternative high school programs (AHSPs) have on the graduation rates of Black students who attend these programs. Data were gathered through the use of surveys, interviews, a focus group, and an expert panel that incorporated feedback from students,…

The Performance Measures for Student Success Report is the North Carolina Community College System's major accountability document. This annual performance report is based on data compiled during the previous year and serves to inform colleges and the public on the performance of our 58 community colleges. In 2010, a review process was established…

Due to its emphasis on academics and exclusion of athletic scholarships, the NCAA's Division III (DIII) is often praised by coaches, media, and higher education leaders for offering the purest form of collegiate athletics. However, the academics-first philosophy and higher graduation rates the NCAA celebrates for most of its sports are not…

Since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 many works related to the ADA and how higher education programs comply with the ADA have been published. However, few studies have investigated the factors associated with educational completion for students with physical disabilities (SWPD) in physical therapist programs. The…

The federal government and many individual organizations have invested in programs to support diversity in the STEM pipeline, including STEM summer programs for high school students, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy. We fielded a randomized controlled trial to study a suite of such programs targeted to underrepresented high…

This study investigated the relationship between institutional graduation rates of students with Pell grants and institutional/financial aid characteristics. Study findings suggest that increasing the proportion of Pell recipients was related to a decrease in Pell student graduation rates, while increasing institutional grants was associated with…

Do increased expenditures lead to improvements in international students' outcomes? As state subsidies for public higher education institutions remain low, the reliance on out-of-state tuition from international students underscores their importance. Because international students often pay such higher tuition fees, it is worth studying how such…

Higher education systems globally have seen major increases in women's participation and the overall trend in OECD countries has been a transition from the traditional male majority in enrolments to a substantial female majority. Prompted by a recent reversal of this trend, this paper explores gender differences in participation in higher…

We conduct the first long-term experimental evaluation of a need-based financial aid program, the privately funded Wisconsin Scholars Grant. Over multiple cohorts, the program failed to increase degree completion and graduate school enrollment up to 10 years after matriculation. The program did reduce time-to-degree for some students and modestly…

This study examines the impact of online core courses on students' academic and financial outcomes of postsecondary students. To do so, we analyzed data from a large sample of students in the University System of Georgia (USG), governing agency of Georgia's 26 public universities and colleges. Since 2001, USG has offered "eCore" courses:…

Apart from awarding associate degrees, two-year colleges (also referred to as associate colleges and community colleges) may vary distinctly in their disciplinary focus. Certain institutions offer more courses geared toward specific career fields, while other two-year institutions offer courses to prepare students to transfer to four-year…

Senate Bill 19-129, concerning the regulation of online schools, calls for the Colorado Department of Education's Office of Blended and Online Learning to produce an annual report on the number of students who withdraw from Colorado K-12 online schools after the pupil enrollment count date. An initial report on this topic was included in the 2019…

First-generation low-income students are faced with many challenges during their transition to college. Early involvement is critical for their success. The purpose of this research was to discover the impact that Student Support Services had on first-generation low-income students' retention. The purpose was to determine if student's GPAs, family…

Virtual charter schools are increasingly popular, yet there is no research on the long-term outcomes of virtual charter students. We link statewide education records from Oregon with earnings information from IRS records housed at the U.S. Census Bureau to provide evidence on how virtual charter students fare as young adults. Virtual charter…