This study's purpose was to determine whether the use of course-embedded learning assistants compared to sections that did not use course-embedded learning assistants in intermediate algebra courses impacted student performance at a community college. The sample was composed of 5,738 students who were enrolled in an intermediate algebra course…

The purpose of this correlational study was to investigate the effectiveness of attending a full-day pre-kindergarten program on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) scores of students who attended the Full-day program and students who did not attend the full-day program. The population of students in this study was 260 from three different…

Financial literacy is an area of knowledge with which many Americans struggle. For students transitioning from a free public K-12 system to a pay-to-attend system in higher education, understanding the actual cost of college becomes vital so they can persist to graduation. This study focused on low-income, campus-housed first-year students in the…

This study examined a school's improvement efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism in a rural, high-poverty elementary school. Through improvement science, it analyzed the effects of attendance interventions on attendance improvement. It is well known that students who do not regularly attend school will also struggle with adequate progress and…

Participation in higher education affords low-income students with a pathway out of poverty. The federally funded Upward Bound program aims to improve the college-going rate of low-income and first-generation students. Relevant studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the program. There is a gap in the research regarding whether some types…

This study examined Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants' perceptions of integrating digital literacy training with the TANF job readiness program to bridge the gap between TANF and earning higher wages to provide for their families without government assistance. A combination of qualitative content analysis and focus group…

The present study is a mixed-method analysis on the effects of COVID-19 on families of low socio-economic status (SES) in regards to the challenges they are facing as well as their ability to meet their family needs. Participants were families that qualified for participation in the Success Program (SP) based on their financial situation who…

This improvement project was designed to ensure students enrolled in elementary schools with a high poverty index received literacy instructional strategies that promoted literacy achievement. When analyzing Graham County School data, I noticed third-grade students attending high poverty elementary schools were not achieving literacy success at…

In this dissertation, I examined the experiences of QuestBridge Scholars attending three different elite universities that enroll more students from the top income quintile than from the lowest three income quintiles combined. The universities attended by participants in this study are among the few that are both need-blind and that fully meet…

Advocates for marginalized students have worked to understand the equity implications of public policy and its application on educational performance gaps. This study investigated equity policies in a southern California community college intervention program: the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). EOPS is an equity program created…

The Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) program is a welfare-to-work program in Pennsylvania meant to promote financial independence through education. Across the community colleges in the state of Pennsylvania, the KEYS program has often allowed financially disadvantaged students to succeed on par with - and often surpass - their non-KEYS…

The education gap between economically advantaged and economically disadvantaged students in the United States is accountable for most of the education gap in the United States and other technologically advanced countries. Unfortunately, the students who require the most academic support and quality instruction often receive instruction from the…

Fifty years after he wrote "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" (1970), Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's work is as relevant as ever. But while many of Freire's ideas are well known in the United States, there is limited research on their application in social movement settings, a practice commonly known as "popular education". This…

Students entering Kindergarten need to obtain readiness skills to make their first year of school a successful one. Many students may appear overwhelmed with the activities and expectations that are placed on them in a kindergarten classroom. Many families and teachers would like for kindergarten to be conducted the way it was many years ago, but…

The problem addressed in this study is the high dropout and poor graduation rates among at-risk students attending Title I high schools in Virginia. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to (a) assess current levels of school connectedness, achievement focus, student persistence, grades, and attendance of at-risk high school students in…