Collaboration between rural school counselors and educational stakeholders may create opportunities to address inequities; however, there is limited research on rural school counselors' collaboration relationships. The purpose of this dissertation study is to understand the experiences of rural school counselors within the Virginia Department of…

Female students face distinct challenges when pursuing an education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Those challenges are compounded when female students grow up in the rural American west. Through the framework of Critical Feminist Theory (CFT), this study looks to identify barriers for female students within STEM…

Attending and graduating from college or university has profound influences on financial earnings and career opportunities. Beyond these financial and career benefits, attending higher education also offers social and emotional benefits. While there are many potential benefits to going on in one's education, there are known disparities in who goes…

Volunteer-led programming is the heart of the 4-H program. The Wyoming 4-H program relies heavily on volunteers to deliver programming directly to youth. Shrinking budgets and limited staff makes volunteer retention and recruitment key in building and maintaining a 4-H program in Wyoming focused on youth education. Understanding what motivates…

Evolving over time, Extension has expanded its programming to meet diverse needs across the nation. In Georgia, UGA Extension operates in all 159 counties, where agents and specialists collaborate to address community needs. Extension plays a unique role in building relationships, conducting needs assessments, and contributing to the development…

Efforts to prevent veteran homelessness in the United States have been ongoing for decades, yet thousands of veterans still face homelessness daily. This case study explores collaborative leadership efforts among nonprofit and government agencies aimed at preventing homelessness among veterans. The research question asks how nonprofit agencies…

Rural Canada is in decline, and as such has begun recruiting immigrants to rural areas to fill crucial labour gaps. This study explores the ways in which rural community colleges can best support immigrant women in Canada. Using narrative inquiry, it captures the voices of women who successfully completed programs in a rural community college in…

Rural Brain Drain is a critical issue facing hundreds of non-metropolitan communities across the country. Existing research that addresses the outmigration of college graduates from rural areas primarily focuses on the reasons the graduates leave, and not on what influences the decision making of those who stay. This study adds to existing…

The objective of this action research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a six-month financial education intervention for Appalachian artists by measuring and observing changes in financial knowledge, financial self-efficacy, and financial behaviors and by assessing participants? perception of the program. By all measures, the financial…

Rural students comprise nearly half of all students enrolled in public schools in the nation. With increasing amounts of students living in poverty, rural school districts are combating many issues but with fewer resources than urban and suburban school districts. In addition, new Federal and state regulations continue to be enacted, sometimes to…

To determine why girls in rural Somalia do not go to school, this study used an interview methodology grounded on phenomenology to gather qualitative data. The United Nations reports that elementary and secondary education levels are severely uneven in many countries, including Somalia. More than 40% of Africa's impoverished people will face…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore teacher recruitment and retention practices for Black educators in rural counties in Southeastern North Carolina. The theories that guided this study are John Ogbu's cultural-ecological theory of minority school performance, and Richard Valencia's deficit thinking theory. The research…

The community college has one of its missions to provide access for students who intend to transfer to a 4-year university using a vertical transfer pathway. As potential advocates for students in the transfer process, faculty who work in community colleges need to recognize the importance of supporting transfer students and help to improve the…

Researchers have extensively investigated the quantitative relationship between various admissions requirements and their predictive capability for academic success in DPT programs; however, limited investigators have examined the perceptions of these requirements by admissions faculty. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the…

The cultivation of solid leadership abilities and the implementation of effective strategies are of utmost importance in facilitating collaboration among community college institutions and businesses, fostering agility and creativity, promoting diverse thinking, facilitating effective pedagogical practices, supporting professional development, and…