The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to understand the factors that engage nontraditional undergraduate African American male students to remain persistent during degree completion while attending Non-Historically Black Colleges or Universities (NHBCUs). Understanding how some nontraditional African American males…

The academic, social, and emotional needs of students are rapidly increasing while staff interest in working in special education programs, serving some of the neediest students, is declining. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore a specialized social-emotional support program across elementary, middle, and high school levels…

Black men suffer some of the most dismal completion rates in higher education due to the extremely hostile campus environments they experience at many institutions, particularly predominantly White institutions. Increased stereotypes, alienation, isolation, racialized incidents, and lack of support from peers, faculty, and administration can…

Student retention has been a serious issue for many community colleges globally for several decades. In a community college in Jamaica, persistence rates have been steadily declining within the last several years. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' experiences with the pre-college program that was designed to prepare students…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how high school academic and non-academic factors are related to college readiness and performance in freshman-level mathematics and science courses and retention in STEM fields. High school academic indicators for college readiness will include performance in high school science and mathematics courses,…

Black males account for 4.3% of the total enrollment at four-year postsecondary institutions in the United States. The percentage of Black men who are enrolled in college is nearly the same as it was in 1976 (Harper, 2006a; Palmer & Strayhorn, 2008; Strayhorn, 2008a, 2010). With this low exponential growth of Black males attending institutions…

This qualitative case study explores with 15 millennial educators, the factors that influenced their decision to stay and progress as leaders within the context of a high-attrition environment. The following assumptions held to be true: (1) the generation-specific retention needs of Millennials are applicable to educators across generations.; (2)…

Each year, nearly 17,000 community college students participate in Tennessee Reconnect (TNR), which allows adults to attend eligible colleges free of tuition and mandatory fees. However, many adult students face obstacles to persistence. In 2019, fewer than half of Reconnect students persisted as Reconnect students the following year. This paper…

The global economy has evolved in recent decades, resulting in increased demand for credentialed, skilled workers in a variety of industries. To meet this need, the U.S. higher education industry continues its pursuit of producing qualified graduates. Colleges and universities historically focused on serving traditional-aged students,…

Research shows that first-generation college students are less likely to be retained from their first to second year, and struggle with sense of belonging, comfort with faculty, and the establishment of a positive first-generation student identity. This qualitative case study evaluated the effects of a residential living learning community with a…

The prevailing view of student retention has been shaped by theories that view student attrition through the lens of institutional action or inaction and less on the student's situation or college experiences. Students seek to persist and graduate, however obstacles get in their way. More than half of all student attrition takes place in the first…

Graduate student teaching assistants from underrepresented groups may provide salient role models and enhanced instruction to minority students in STEM fields. We explore minority student-TA interactions in an important course in the sciences and STEM -- introductory chemistry labs -- at a large public university. The uncommon assignment method of…

Radiation therapy is a highly specialized profession that requires education and training of individuals to administer radiation to patients. There is increased pressure for faculty to select and retain students most likely to complete a program curriculum. The purpose of the quantitative correlational study was to examine whether a predictive…

This study investigates the influence of principal tenure on the retention rates of the teachers they hire over time. We analyzed the hiring practices and teacher retention rates of 11,717 Texas principals from 1999 to 2017 employing both individual and year fixed effects. Main findings indicate that a principal who stays in the same school for at…

Graduate student teaching assistants from underrepresented groups may provide salient role models and enhanced instruction to minority students in STEM fields. We explore minority student-TA interactions in an important course in the sciences and STEM -- introductory chemistry labs -- at a large public university. The uncommon assignment method of…