Basic need insecurities (BNI) often impact the ability of community college students to persist and complete their goals. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated BNI for students, forcing administrators to address BNI. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the leadership strategies and competencies that contributed to how…

Elementary school principals play a key role in leading school personnel to provide prekindergartners and kindergartners with the support needed to ensure their short- and long-term school success. Yet, few studies examine how principals conceptualize what it means for children to be ready for school and how principals support students as they…

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) has been widely used as a strong indicator of loyalty and growth in organizations. However, despite extensive use in various industries, its application in higher education has been limited. To address this gap, we explore the use of NPS in the identification and investigation of the characteristics as well as…

This phenomenological study explored perceived first-generation college student retention at a Texas four-year higher education institution post-vertical transfer. The participants in this study consisted of 12 full-time and part-time students who identified as first-generation college students and had vertically transferred from a two-year higher…

Early college high schools (ECHSs), which combine high school with the first two years of college, have grown in popularity nationwide. Research suggests ECHS participation has positive impacts on college enrollment and completion, but little is known about how ECHS graduates experience university life. Using a framework of college belonging and…

Diversity within schools can enrich education. However, without systemic cultural competence, numerical diversity may undermine educational goals when student needs are not met in appropriate ways. Because student experience and engagement drive educational effectiveness, student perceptions of school climate can provide necessary feedback to…

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 62.1 million people identify as Hispanic/ Latiné in the United States. Of the 49.6 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022, 14.4 million students identified as Hispanic (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024a). Factors such as poverty, health issues, and…

The growing number of U.S. engineering jobs signifies a need for more students to pursue engineering degrees. To increase access to engineering education, in 2015, Texas A&M University established Engineering Academies (EA) in cooperation with selected community colleges. The problem addressed in this study was a lack of knowledge about why…

More than ever, students are enrolling in schools of choice, and more specifically Early College high schools. In years past, dual enrollment was the most predominantly sought-after access for postsecondary education within the traditional high school settings, since then new options of Early College High Schools (ECHS), Early College Nursing…

Despite there being numerous studies on leadership, persistence, and sense of belonging, there are few studies that examine these constructs for student employees who work in student unions. The number of students employed, on or off campus, while working on a degree is increasing (Watanabe, 2005). One of the places on campus where students can…

This study examined student academic optimism in four diverse North Texas school districts. This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to analyze results of an online administration of the survey, and Latinx student responses to a focus group protocol derived from the survey. Quantitative results indicate the individual scales…

Air Tutors is an online tutoring organization that provides one-on-one and small group tutoring for K-12 students. Air Tutors uses live, online tutoring and an online platform that incorporates video conferencing and interactive whiteboards; recruits high-quality paid tutors with tutoring experience and engaging online personalities; and engages…

Student success inequities in online gateway math courses exacerbate the problematic trend that too few marginalized, community college students complete a degree, especially during the time of COVID-19 in which this study was situated. This critical participatory action research study examined the experiences and perspectives of the on-the-ground…

Higher education today faces a host of challenges, from quality to cost. But too little attention gets paid to a startling fact: four out of ten students -- that's more than ten percent of the entire population -- who start college drop out. The situation is particularly dire for black and Latino students, those from poor families, and those who…

Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) face a multifaceted set of challenges in determining how to maintain their effectiveness in building student competencies and encouraging their academic success. To understand the importance of noncognitive skills on fostering such success, this study reports on efforts at three HSIs to make meaningful use of…