Public school campuses in rural South Texas are struggling to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. Districts now have flexibility in hiring certified teachers, but the need for teachers continues to grow annually. The challenge lies in attracting teachers to smaller school districts, when there are larger districts throughout the State of…

This dissertation examines the troubling underrepresentation of staff of color in Pacific Northwest community colleges. Despite the proven benefits of racial staff diversity in promoting student success, community colleges face challenges in recruiting and retaining staff of color. Existing literature concerning non-teaching staff at community…

Data show an alarming number of novice teachers leaving the education profession within the first five years of teaching. This high turnover has created teacher shortages, negative financial expenses to school districts, and negative impact on student achievement. These ramifications of teacher turnover have concerned educational leaders,…

The purpose of this study was to explore how high-achieving first-generation college students perceived their mentoring experiences at a public research university in the midsouth and examined what role mentoring played in their persistence. Using the narrative inquiry, the study captured mentoring perceptions and experiences of 13 high-achieving…

First-year seminar courses have become increasingly popular for colleges and universities as they are expected to help aid in the transition to college and help students persist to graduation (Culver & Bowman, 2020). Utilizing pre-existing data from the Office of Institutional Research Effectiveness and Planning (IREP), the…

Schools in the United States average an annual teacher turnover of 16%, with half of all teachers who change jobs also leaving the profession. This problem is important because high teacher turnover interrupts the development of pedagogical acumen among teachers, adversely affects student achievement, and diverts budget dollars that are needed…

This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of students enrolled in online doctoral programs in the United States regarding how they defined and described connectedness as it relates to their online programs. The theoretical foundations of this study were Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and Bowlby's attachment theory. Two…

This research study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of improvement efforts made for ENG 111 online courses at Brunswick Community College (BCC). The primary goal is to enhance student satisfaction, increase course completion rates, and improve course success rates. The study assesses the strategic redesign of ENG 111 courses and aims to…

Much of the current literature on teacher retention centers around early-career teachers, with far less addressing mid-career teacher attrition. This research study explores the positive and negative experiences of five mid-career teachers, Toni, Sean, Susan, Debbie, and Jacqueline, explicitly focusing on the experiences that influenced their…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore college and career counselors' perspectives of students on the factors that influence the persistence of dual credit students in local high schools in North Texas. The theoretical foundation of this study was from Rendon's Validation Theory that is of the belief that institutional validation…

Novice teachers in the United States are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. The support provided to novice teachers often includes mentoring, professional development, administrative support, and collaborative time with others. The perceptions of novice teachers on the support systems were examined to understand the lived experiences of…

With adolescent mental health concerns on the rise, it is important that school counselors provide adequate support in the areas of academic, career, and social/emotional support. Yet, there are few scales that look at the perceptions of students around the support that their school counselors provide in these areas. This study sought to validate…

This paper deals with the gender gap phenomenon as displayed by Italian students participating in mathematical competitions--gifted students. In particular, the results obtained by the entire student population participating in district competitions from 2017 to 2020 were analysed. The combined analysis of the competition results and of the final…

E-learning has the potential to attract learners into the learning environment with its abundance benefits. However, learners tend to discontinue the use of e-learning as they lose intention if they are not satisfied. In regard to this, this study explored the sense of belonging and grit in the e-learning portal environment. A total of 441…

University agricultural programs' struggle to attract students is leading to a disparity in the number of available jobs in agriculture and the number of qualified applicants to fill these positions. This study sought to garner a unique students' perspective of ways that universities and specifically agricultural programs can support and encourage…