With the number of jobs in computer occupations on the rise, there is a greater need for computer science (CS) graduates than ever. At the same time, most CS departments across the country are only seeing 25-30% of women students in their classes, meaning that we are failing to draw interest from a large portion of the population. In this work, we…

This work used mixed methods to understand the enrollment of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) high schools. Grounded in previous work that described and recommended school practices for recruitment, admission, and retention of students from historically…

The number of initiatives developed to support student persistence and retention in higher education has expanded a great deal within the last 10 years. Many of these solutions have been created with the intent to directly influence and enhance students' cognitive abilities while disregarding the critical role that non-cognitive factors play in…

The increasing number of part time instructors in the community college professorate combined with low student retention and graduation rates makes research into part time faculty and student success highly germane. My dissertation investigated if higher ratios of adjunct faculty were related to student retention, certificate/degree attainment,…

This study examined areas of concern within the community college level of higher education affecting the retention and attrition rates of African American male first-year students at three community colleges in the state of New Jersey. It used a four-stage investigative design to identify variable factors that are correlated to retention and…

Community college libraries provide retention support for students navigating through their coursework. This research consists of interviews with 10 out of 18 library directors in New Jersey. This study takes a sizable positive step in determining how an academic library supports retention since a library director is uniquely qualified and able to…

This study engages readers in a dialogue on redesigning retention strategies from reactive to proactive, a conceptualization of interdependencies of retention intervention metrics and student behaviors, and identifies the actions needed to achieve them in practice through real-time collaborative campus partnerships. Best practices for data…

College student attrition can cause a multitude of issues for students and universities. When a student leaves a program, the student may have to take additional credits and thus spend more on tuition, and the program may lose funding due to reduced enrollment. At a small private university in New Jersey, science, technology, engineering,…

When looking at today's Community College graduation rates, dropout rates and time to completion of degrees, it is abundantly clear that a problem exists. This study examined the characteristics of community colleges in New Jersey and student experiences that contribute to the dismal statistics. Mathematics curriculum in P-12 falls short on…

Today, the need to help increase enrollment and retention of Black Preservice Teachers (BPTs) in a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) Teacher Education Program (TEP) is especially relevant in the United States, because teachers are more likely to be White and female in the classroom. According to the United States Department of Education's…

Transition planning for students in special education is mandated by IDEA law. However as with many areas of special education, its implementation varies from school district to school district and even differs among different case managers and students within a district. Furthermore, little is known about the effectiveness of transition planning…

This study examined a U.S. based university's peer group for low income students to identify the ways in which the group successfully retains African American, male students despite the low national retention rate of Black male students in higher education. The peer group was assessed through qualitative analysis to understand the ways in which…

Student athletes face challenges that many of their traditional peers do not. Not only are athletes expected to perform in their sport, they're also required to achieve in the classroom, a dual hardship for a demographic already tackling the difficulties associated with non-traditional learning. But with athletics programs entrenched at many…

Although the existence of state-funded student support services programs dates to the 1960s, studies on how such programs play a role in student success are scarce. By utilizing unique institutional data and a comprehensive conceptual model integrating multiple theories, this study examines the relationship between the New Jersey educational…

Research on retention in the 4-H youth development program has consistently shown that one of the primary indicators for youths' dropping out of 4-H is being a first-year member. Extension 4-H professionals from California, Idaho, Wyoming, and New Jersey formed a team to study this issue. Our team surveyed first-year members and their…