Background/Context: Today we have moved from the debate of student opportunity to postsecondary educational setting to 100% access. That is, today's high school settings have been charged with preparing "college ready" graduates. Educational policy has leveraged mandates and sanctions as a mechanism to improve college placement rates, especially…

Jay, an African American male, was placed in the gifted class in fifth grade. He lined up with his new class on the first day of school, but refused to enter the classroom. He was angry that he had been placed in the class with "those kids" and wanted to be in the other class where his friends were. Each day thereafter, Jay struggled with being…

This article presents a model of collaboration between a state child welfare licensing division and a public university to develop and administer online examinations for persons seeking licensure as administrators of residential child care facilities or child placing agencies. The exams assess knowledge of state standards and various practice…

The AP Achievement Institute I (APAI I) is a four-day professional development program offered to teachers and administrators by EXCELerator™, a district reform program operated by the College Board. The APAI I program is designed to help teachers develop effective AP instructional strategies for a diverse student body and to help district,…

This research studied the role of mathematics as a roadblock to college completion for community college-bound students in California. Using longitudinal quantitative analysis, I observed the educational pipeline between high school and community college and analyzed how different high school mathematics histories predicted readiness, or…

Community colleges play an important role in providing first and second generation immigrants access to higher education and the opportunity to earn a postsecondary credential. However, immigrant students may face obstacles in pursuit of a postsecondary degree, particularly second language challenges that can inhibit their success in college-level…

In an effort to reduce the engineering student withdrawal rate due to mathematics, The University of Alabama developed a unique, informal, interactive, and interdisciplinary five-week summer residence program called the Engineering Math Advancement Program (E-MAP). The program aims to increase retention by preparing students to be successful in…

Unprepared postsecondary students and poor high school retention rates emphasize a significant issue with education in the U.S. Although there have been increases in the number of programs to address retention and matriculation to degree attainment, little research has been completed to examine outcomes of these programs. Advanced placement and…

Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS) is a senior secondary high school offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). As part of the Diploma, students are required to complete a referenced research essay of four thousand words. For most, this will be their first experience of such a challenging undertaking.…

The study investigated and analyzed the state of academic web-based job announcements in Library and Information Science Field. The purpose of study was to get in depth understanding about main characteristics and trends of academic job market in Library and Information science field. The study focused on web-based version announcement as it was…

This paper presents findings from five separate investigations undertaken as part of the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative, a legislatively mandated program to increase the number of students attending and succeeding in college. It highlights activities designed to improve alignment between high school and college. These activities…

A logit model predicting student outcomes for a gateway course, Math for Liberal Arts, was successfully developed which fits the data well. Two variables, ACT math score and high school GPA, were found to be significant predictors of achieving a C or better in Math for Liberal Arts. A practical implication of the study suggests that with just two…

This action research project focuses on increasing student comprehension and achievement. The study examined the effectiveness of completing detailed item analysis of assessments for the purpose of placing students into different Language Arts classes and learning groups within those classes. Research advocates placing students of similar ability…

The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the design and piloting of a branched, online placement and credit examination that measures receptive as well as productive and creative language abilities in the heritage language of college students entering the Spanish for Heritage Learners Program at the University of Houston, a major…

The educational transition process experienced by adolescents with disabilities and their parents was examined in this study. The results of the qualitative study can be interpreted to conclude that students rarely were engaged in transition planning, and when they were engaged, it came too late in their high school careers. Students with…