Industry-recognized certifications (IRCs) are designed by businesses, industrial groups, and state agencies to enable students to demonstrate their skills related to a specific profession and to enable industries to know whether potential employees are qualified for specific jobs. To understand the value of these certifications, Matt Giani…

This study examined the effect of dual enrollment (DE) on college enrollment and degree completion for students with lower prior academic achievement who attended public high schools in Texas. We employed a propensity score matching method to reduce selection bias arising from DE participation and supplemented the analysis with a bounds test. The…

This dissertation examines the impacts of a last-dollar promise program on high school-to-college enrollments at a very large community college (VLCC) district in Texas. The research intends to add to the current literature on the growing popularity of promise programs at two-year community colleges. Specifically, this quantitative study examines…

This qualitative study examines an intervention program assisting students in passing the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) at ELITE High School in Houston, Texas. The Texas Education Agency has provided a blueprint for the target populations of the early college high school and the TSI is the gatekeeper for students' success in post-secondary…

A modified, bilingual Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) instrument was administered to 1,258 high school students in South Texas in an NSF-funded project on informal learning of mathematics and near peer mentoring. We explore students' survey response behaviors and examine the existence of careless and insufficient effort (CIE)…

This study investigates the dual credit (DC) college readiness indicator among secondary students in Texas during 2019-2021 COVID-19. Utilizing publicly available administrative data from the Texas Education Agency and a hierarchical linear model, the paper identifies changes in Texas school districts' college readiness DC course completion rates…

Most studies on technology integration in mathematics education are focused on teachers' perceptions or students' academic achievement. However, it is necessary to learn how students perceive their learning in this environment. This basic qualitative study focuses on students' experiences with 1:1 computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL)…

This Brief Report presents an example of assessment validation using an argument-based approach. The instrument we developed is a Brief Assessment of Students' Mature Number Sense, which measures a central goal in mathematics education. We chose to develop this assessment to provide an efficient way to measure the effect of instructional practices…

Purpose: The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to analyze the relationship between the experience level of teachers on traditional high school campuses and student discipline placements into either ISS, OSS, or DAEP at three different levels of student enrollment consisting of students in Grades 9-12 across Texas. In the first study,…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceivedinfluence of early college programs offered to high school students across Texasregarding motivation to be successful in college. Semi-structured interviews with 10student participants were conducted using protocol based on three research questions: (1)What experiences in early…

This study explored the lived experiences of Black male mentees mentored by female staff in high school school-based mentoring (SBM) programs. Specifically, it identified how their relationship achieved the four components of relational-cultural theory to improve academic achievement and support graduation. According to TEA (2022b), Black students…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the protocol of how high school counselors manage Black male students diagnosed as being emotionally disturbed. This study examined the problem of the overdiagnosis of ethnic minority youths, mainly Black youths. The research used a case study research design to answer three research questions…

Punitive discipline has been utilized in American schools for many years, but restorative justice practices are becoming more common. The researcher examined the literature surrounding punitive discipline and restorative justice practices. The design and purpose of this study was intended to help schools avoid the problems that punitive discipline…

Many districts across Texas have adopted programs built on the goal of providing more opportunities within their repertoire for servicing traditionally underserved students (AVID, 2023). Friou (2016) reported that 62 districts across Texas have utilized the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, which aimed to bridge the gap in…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore college and career counselors' perspectives of students on the factors that influence the persistence of dual credit students in local high schools in North Texas. The theoretical foundation of this study was from Rendon's Validation Theory that is of the belief that institutional validation…