The book analyses and evaluates several key community college reform programs that emerged after the Recession of 2008 and as a result of major initiatives in California, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Connecticut and Wisconsin. Because of the economic downturn in the early 21st Century, an already eroding financial base for public higher education…

Despite the Great Recession and looming "student loan debt crisis", college education remains the most proven, invaluable lifetime investment and serves as the most reliable path to upward mobility and socioeconomic class reassignment. Mfume suggests that "the value added" of even one year of college can be transformative. As…

Online learning is ubiquitous for millions of students worldwide, yet our understanding of student experiences in online learning settings is limited. The geographic distance that separates faculty from students in an online environment is its signature feature, but it is also one that risks widening the gulf between teachers and learners. In…

The reasons minority students are subject to exclusionary discipline more often than others are varied, but many experts agree that they often have little to do with the students themselves. Large rates of suspensions and expulsions tend to result from discipline policies in need of revision that are exacerbated by numerous administrators and…

This case study illustrates design and development research, an innovative-based option to commonly used survey or experimental research design. Educational researchers have for many years conducted research that include exploration of perceptions, measurement of learner's psychological traits, modelling educational attainment and case-based…

Under increasing pressure to raise graduation rates and ensure that students leave high school college- and career-ready, many school and district leaders may believe that, when students graduate with college acceptances in hand, their work is done. But as Benjamin L. Castleman and Lindsay C. Page show, summer can be a time of significant…

Out-of-school time (OST) settings are powerful contexts for youth development when programs and services are intentionally designed. "Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings" increases the capacity of students and professionals to facilitate youths' optimal transition to adulthood through maximizing the…

The reasons minority students are subject to exclusionary discipline more often than others are varied, but many experts agree that they often have little to do with the students themselves. Large rates of suspensions and expulsions tend to result from discipline policies in need of revision that are exacerbated by numerous administrators and…

The National Science Foundation funded a synthesis study on the status, contributions, and future direction of discipline-based education research (DBER) in physics, biological sciences, geosciences, and chemistry. DBER combines knowledge of teaching and learning with deep knowledge of discipline-specific science content. It describes the…

Despite the worldwide prestige of America's doctoral programs in the humanities, all is not well in this area of higher education and hasn't been for some time. The content of graduate programs has undergone major changes, while high rates of student attrition, long times to degree, and financial burdens prevail. In response, the Andrew W. Mellon…

On many campuses, graduate students are a prized resource, supporting faculty research and the undergraduate instructional mission. Yet, attrition rates among master's and doctoral students are often alarmingly high. The 50th installment of The First-Year Experience Monograph Series describes the challenges associated with entry into graduate…

Although access to higher education is virtually universally available, many students who start in a higher education program drop out prior to completing a degree or achieving their individual academic and/or social goals. In response to student attrition, colleges have developed intervention programs and services to try to retain students. In…

Based on evidence from a survey of 816 completers and noncompleters of doctoral degree programs and on interviews with noncompleters, high- and low-Ph.D. productive faculty, and directors of graduate study, this book locates the root cause of attrition in doctoral study and the cultural organization of graduate education. The chapters are: (1)…

In 1995, doctoral degrees were granted to over 26,000 individuals in the sciences and humanities; however, many other individuals began graduate work with the same aspirations. There are no national estimates to indicate how many students make the decision each year to cease graduate work, but studies at a few selected academic institutions…

The book provides an examination of research and practice related to enrollment management at institutions of higher education. Part 1 describes enrollment management in the context of strategic planning and presents four organizational approaches. Part 2 focuses on marketing and student recruitment, while Part 3 considers student retention.…