Participation in humanities coursework is vital, both for community college students pursuing credentials considered "academic" and for those in career and technical education fields who may not transfer to four-year colleges. Humanities courses help students develop foundational skills; they may also light students' fire for learning as…

Persistence and retention of international, non-native-English-speaking students represent continual and important issues that leaders of higher education institutions consistently consider, especially after the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this research was to highlight the lived experiences of international,…

Teachers with less than 5 years of teaching experience in low socioeconomic status schools are more likely to leave education than those who have taught in a higher socioeconomic school, often leaving schools in low socioeconomic areas struggling to fill vacancies and to keep a full teaching staff. Many students are high-risk if they attend a…

Autistic individuals have numerous strengths that are valuable in work settings (e.g., attention to detail, punctuality, low absenteeism, high work quality, strong work ethic, trustworthiness, loyalty). Yet, when compared to neurotypical peers, many autistic individuals continue to have difficulty securing, maintaining, and advancing in…

The transition to graduate school is a unique experience that is challenging for every student as they leave behind many sources of support and enter a new environment that requires incredible independence to navigate. However, programs and institutions often do not focus on supporting the needs of graduate students specifically. Previous research…

Fifty-two strongly committed, first-generation Latina women attending a predominantly white institution (PWI) were asked how their first-generation status has had an impact on their college experience and where they see themselves in five years. Written responses to these questions were analyzed from the lens of "attribution theory" and…

This study identifies factors contributing to the success of foster care alumni (FCA) who graduate from post-secondary education (PSE), despite institutions devoting little effort to making PSE accessible to FCA. Nine FCA PSE graduates were interviewed about their success. Responses were analyzed using an exploratory method to identify themes…

There are evident shortages with increased demands for qualified special education teachers (SETs) nationwide (Peyton et al., 2021). Although efforts have been made to reduce SET attrition and increase retention, it is still unknown what job factors influence SETs' intent to stay, transfer, migrate, pursue administrative positions, pursue…

Administrative support is critical in reducing the teacher turnover rate. Specifically, teachers indicated the need for administrative support, relevant opportunities for professional development, behavioral support, and allocating time for collaboration and planning. In addition, proving administrative support is most consistently associated with…

Research focusing on retention is vital for addressing the shortage of qualified special educators. In this phenomenological study, therefore, 21 early career special educators in Wisconsin were interviewed to investigate what factors most motivated them to continue in their profession. The study also examined how early career special educators…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are one of the fastest-growing majors in the nation, engineering, is projected to add the second largest number of new jobs from 2016 to 2026 with 140,000 new jobs (Torpey, 2018). Unfortunately, there is a disparity between enrollment and graduation rates (Chen, 2015; Lucas &…

Teacher retention in high-poverty middle schools is a topic of concern. Teachers make the decision to leave the profession for a variety of reasons. Induction programs are put in place to for support with the goal of helping new teachers remain in the profession. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify critical components of…

This qualitative narrative study explored the teacher induction experiences of new teachers, who have only taught between one to five years, in a complex area in the Hawai'i Department of Education (HIDOE). Past research has shown that teacher induction programs can play an important role in retaining and supporting new teachers in staying in the…

The impact of COVID-19 on teachers is still being assessed. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic this practical action research study action plans for how schools can shift their professional development protocols to be more responsive to teacher's, particularly new teacher's, needs. The action plan is grounded in data from a series of…

The current teacher attrition rate for teachers with 5 years or less of experience is reported to be about 8% within the 1st year and an additional 16% more leaving within the first 5 years (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). Furthermore, middle school is one of the most difficult to staff levels in education. This mixed-methods study…