Rural Appalachia encompasses a region of the United States represented by unique cultural strengths and systemic challenges. To meet their students' career and college needs, school counselors working in rural Appalachia must understand the cultural nuances of the region. Consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology revealed five domains and…

Community colleges have long responded to local workforce needs through assembling programming and alliances aimed at reducing workforce gaps while concurrently training the next generation of industry professionals. The emergence of the North Carolina Community College System's NC Career Coach Program, stemming from North Carolina General Statute…

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 purpose of this study is to explore how one community-based organization supports adolescents through the transition from high school to college, specifically looking at the experiences of three late-arriving refugee-background students who successfully gained access to higher education. Through the critical conceptual framework of community…

Purpose: This article highlights the recipient of the Exemplary PDS Award given by the National Association of School-University Partnerships. In 2024, the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Watson College of Education (WCE) PDS School-University Partnership with Isaac Bear Early College (IBEC) and Southeast Area Technical (SEA-Tech) High…

High schools hold great potential as contexts within which educators implement evidence-based practices shown to change post-school outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, educators feel unprepared to use transition and disability-focused evidence-based practices. Coaching, as an essential feature of effective…

Teacher burnout is a problem that impacts the school community. Students are adversely impacted when teachers experience burnout (Hastings & Bham, 2003). Teachers experiencing burnout have less well-being and less access to psychological capital (PsyCap). Therefore, evidence-informed solutions are needed to address teacher burnout in a…

Following up on a previous impact study of Early Colleges (EC) based on retrospective admission lotteries, this study assessed longer-term impacts on students' postsecondary outcomes with 4 more years of data. The study found that students who won EC admission lotteries were significantly more likely to enroll in college, enroll in 2-year…

Early College High Schools (ECHS) partner with post-secondary institutions to award students, specifically those from historically marginalized groups, with significant transferrable college credit--tuition free--along with a high school diploma. Utilizing the frameworks of counterspace and counterstory, this study aimed to understand the…

The purpose of this quantitative study was threefold: first, to measure high school principal preparedness to meet the increased mental health needs of students; second, to determine principal perceptions of mental health frameworks and needs; and third, to assist with creating a better understanding of what high school principals may need to meet…

This study examined why some seniors attending Early College High Schools did not plan to continue their education at a 4-year college immediately after graduation despite attending schools designed to provide coordinated academic and social supports with the expectation that all students would continue their education. Most students in our study…

This study examined why some seniors attending Early College High Schools did not plan to continue their education at a 4-year college immediately after graduation despite attending schools designed to provide coordinated academic and social supports with the expectation that all students would continue their education. Most students in our study…

Advancing in key courses in ninth grade is an early, crucial step in preparing for college. Students who miss academic targets early in high school may not be ready to go to college 4 years later. In the United States, when students fail key courses in ninth grade, they may struggle to catch up to their peers who successfully took and passed these…

This study examined the effectiveness of the Carolina College Advising Corps (CCAC) on two college readiness outcomes: advanced college preparatory course enrollment and SAT test-taking behaviors. The focus of this study is on concrete college readiness measures beyond mere college aspirations, as these measures more accurately predict college…

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological research was to describe the experiences of students of alternative North Carolina high schools as they transitioned from traditional conventional high schools to an exclusively online curriculum at alternative high schools and to understand the impact of that educational format on…