As colleges and universities strive to increase persistence and aid students in reaching graduation, they are utilizing alternative communication strategies like text messaging. Behavioral economics researchers suggest personalized, regular nudges can help college students make decisions that positively impact their college career and keep them on…

To provide an example of outcomes assessment that aligns with student affairs standards (Finney & Horst, 2019a), we share our process of assessing a mandated eight-week program for students on academic probation. Furthermore, our process highlights the value of using existing theory and research to inform assessment and program redesign…

The transition from middle school to high school is known to be one of the most critical times in a student's educational career. Ninth-grade students walk into larger schools; for some physical, emotional, and social developmental stages initiate; many encounter new demands of more rigorous academics; opportunities for participation in various…

Despite the greater numbers of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (UREM) students enrolling in college over the last few years, many disparities still exist between UREM students (specifically Black and Latinx) and their White student peers when looking at grade point average, "staying-in-college," and degree attainment. The…

In post-secondary education, degree attainment for first-generation college students (FGCS) is essential. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study is to explore the first-generation college student's persistence from their first year to the second year at a private or public post-secondary institution. The second purpose is…

The United States prioritized increasing the number of underrepresented undergraduate students who completed degrees in STEM fields. The ongoing challenge was to create a diverse workforce to maintain the country's global competitiveness. Higher education rolled out intervention programs to help underrepresented students stay on track and graduate…

Objective: To determine whether completing a pre-enrollment Web-based alcohol brief motivational intervention (BMI) increased student retention and reduced student alcohol-related violations. Participants: Fall 2011 (3,364) and Fall 2012 (3,111) entering cohorts of all first-year students at a midwestern state university. Method: Students…

Textbook costs can have a significant impact on the purchasing behaviors and academic success of higher education students. Open textbooks promise significant cost savings, yet perceptions about quality and efficacy still linger. This study explored the impact of an open textbook adoption in an American history course on student academic outcomes…

Using value-added models, we find that high schools impact students' self-reported socioemotional development (SED) by enhancing social well-being and promoting hard work. Conditional on schools' test score impacts, schools that improve SED reduce school-based arrests, and increase high-school completion, college-going, and college persistence.…

This study investigated whether a link may exist between the grit level of students who require special education services and their assignment completion rate and occurrence of in-class behaviors. The study was performed over a ten-week period between October 2017 and December 2017 in a high school in New Hampshire. The study comprised both pre…

The past three decades have seen charter schools emerge as a prominent and controversial alternative to traditional public schools. This policy brief examines "Thirty Years of Charter Schools: What Does Lottery-Based Research Tell Us?" which summarizes 40 studies that have used lottery research designs to analyze how charter schools…

Careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have many benefits, including decent salaries, a strong employment outlook, and high job satisfaction. Unfortunately, workers with disabilities are underrepresented in the STEM fields. This practice brief describes a program designed to support college students with…

The purpose of this implementation report is to help community college leaders, foundations, and public education policymakers understand the impact that nudges have on student success, especially for students from populations that typically have low rates of college completion. The promising results of the NTSS [Nudging to STEM Success]…

Improving the outcomes of students in developmental or remedial math remains a puzzle in higher education. Concerns with low persistence and completion rates have motivated proponents of reform to reconsider the delivery of developmental math. Lengthening the amount of time in math is thought to be an intervention that improves academic…

The aim of this analysis was to determine from a pilot project whether a new style of course-connected learning support for students in gateway STEM courses could be more successful on the University of Rhode Island's campus than the traditional Supplemental Instruction (SI) model. The new model, Weekly Tutoring Groups (WTG), addressed several of…