The College Completion Network was established to expand the field's understanding of promising strategies that could support more students in attaining degrees at open- and broad-access institutions. Funded by a 6-year grant (2017-2022) from the Institute of Education Sciences, the network brought together research teams focused on postsecondary…

This report makes the case for a shift in emphasis in U.S. education and workforce development policy. Specifically, the report sets out a rationale for investing more in upgrading the foundational skill levels of the U.S. workforce. The report summarizes the results of studies that used data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey…

This dissertation consists of three chapters on the industrial organization of higher education. Chapter 1 studies the impacts of mergers and acquisitions on students' outcomes. We explore a series of acquisitions of private higher education institutions in Brazil to conduct an ex-post analysis of the effects of mergers. Using detailed…

College freshmen experience unique stressors when transitioning from high school to college. In Idaho, the freshman attrition rate is higher than the national average, which may be partially explained by the higher prevalence of depression in this region. The current study investigated the potential of cortisol, a stress hormone, to be a biomarker…

Purpose: In recent years, South Africa has continued to experience a high rate of young people who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). The emergence of the concept 'NEET' affords researchers an opportunity to more closely examine the life situations and experiences of this population sub-group. The purpose of this paper is thus…

Illegal gold mining activities contribute tremendously to the local economy of the communities within which the practice is conducted. Despite such developments, its activities come with several environmental, economic, developmental and societal and educational challenges that governments, environmentalists, and educationalists have fought…

The current longitudinal study examined students' intentions to quit school as a process that unfolds over time in a social context of upper secondary school. Based on self-report data collected from 1379 students at three time points over 13 months, the results from latent growth curve modelling revealed average increases in intentions to quit…

High dropout rates, delay, and dissatisfaction among PhD students are common problems in doctoral education. Research shows that many different factors are associated with doctoral success, but these factors have not often been studied simultaneously. Moreover, characteristics of the PhD project are mostly neglected. In this study, we investigate…

This longitudinal study investigates the association between weight- and appearance-related bullying in high school and various dimensions of postsecondary school adaptation. The results showed that, in high school, weight-related bullying is more common than appearance-related bullying. Youth bullied because of weight were at higher risk of…

This article critically analyses national and institutional forms of policy and different conceptions of widening participation in higher education in England by contrasting representations of 'it' as a 'problem' to be managed, compared with complex and recurring dilemmas in practice. Building on Bacchi's (2012a) strategy, the article asks,…

This resource focuses on recent changes in the data sources and measurements of Part B Indicators 1 and 2. It offers a side-by-side comparison of the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) Part B Indicator measurement tables for FFY 2019 and FFY 2020-2025 to highlight relevant differences in SPP/APR reporting of graduation rate…

Background, Purpose, & Research Questions: High school exit exams are meant to standardize quality and ensure that students graduate with basic knowledge and skills. However, policies that expand exit exams are associated with increased dropout rates, particularly among non-white students (e.g. Papay, Murnane, and Willet, 2010; Reardon and…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a combined academic and personal counselling initiative on student performance and emotional well-being outcomes of 289 at-risk students at a Canadian University. Criterion for risk included academic struggles, mental health distress, or both. The program was developed to be tailored to individual…

This brief explores data science methods that workforce programs can use to predict participant success. With access to vast amounts of data on their programs, workforce training providers can leverage their management information systems (MIS) to understand and improve their programs' outcomes. By predicting which participants are at greater risk…

11 community colleges in New Jersey and two Historically Black Community Colleges (one in Alabama and one in Mississippi) joined the OnPath project, which had the goal to help community college students stay enrolled during the pandemic. OnPath facilitated a powerful combination of people and knowledge by bringing together college staff members…