First-generation minority students embark upon the community college campus in large numbers yet persistence to degree completion is waning, specifically for African Americans. The downward spiral has far-reaching implications in the job market, socioeconomic attainment, and community development. The purpose of this study was to examine the role…

Perhaps if we had a better understanding between the relationships among indicators of success in college, college student self-efficacy and participation in programs that help students succeed in college, we could improve success rates and persistence in post-secondary education. This mixed methods study sheds light on the relationship among…

Multilayer perceptron neural networks, Gaussian naive Bayes, and logistic regression classifiers were compared when used to make early predictions regarding one-year college student persistence. Two iterations of each model were built, utilizing a grid search process within 10-fold cross-validation in order to tune model parameters for optimal…

This research focused on addressing high attrition rate of Latino students at U.S. post-secondary institutions. National data reports that Hispanics hold the lowest degree completion rate (16%) of post-secondary degrees (NCES, 2015). The study was guided by Clark and Estes (2008) analytic framework, which required the validation of knowledge,…

Although previous literature has recognized the ongoing issue of students leaving higher education before degree completion college-level seniors are vastly underrepresented in retention literature. The terms "dropout" and "stop-out" often pertain to high school or college students between freshman and sophomore year, as these…

For many of America's youth, completing high school and moving forward with post-secondary education is a natural path for successful living. Unfortunately, many youth in foster care experience a variety of challenges that prevent them from completing high school, entering and/or completing post-secondary education, and leading successful…

The following comparative case studies explored the applicability of servant leadership within the US military and how such leadership style contributes to commitment and retention of civil service employees. The research took place in a US Army post in Germany and in a US Air Force Base in Florida. Retaining civilian employees and raising their…

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence Black mentoring living and learning communities have on the sense of mattering and persistence of Black males at a regional predominately White institution. The researcher employed the Unified Measure of University Mattering (UMUM)-15 survey to examine the ego-extension area of mattering and…

The number of African American teachers in America's K12 schools has steadily decreased over the past four decades. Black teachers today leave the field in greater numbers than any other ethnic teacher group. To identify the factors that positively and negatively impact Black teacher retention, we assess survey data from a sample of teachers…

Despite ongoing efforts to improve retention and engagement of Black Males in postsecondary education, there remain significant differences in academic achievement compared to other racial demographics. This qualitative research study examines the effectiveness of a "Culturally Strategic Mentoring" (CSM) approach that provides Black…

This how-to manual provides a structured framework for developing a comprehensive teaching-learning philosophy from articulation through implementation to evaluation--and then reactivation. Using professional literature and teaching-learning experiences, the authors provide pragmatic steps for using a grounded philosophy to inform, engage, and…

Purpose: The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the role of hope in superintendents' leadership. This exploration included determining the existence of hope in superintendents and its manifestation in their leadership behaviors. This study provides an opportunity for school district leaders to determine if there is a need for…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influence of volunteer motivation, participation, and citizen science project type on the retention and scientific literacy of 4-H youth volunteers ages 8-19 years participating in science projects. The conceptual model of participation in organized activities (OA) proposed by Bohnert,…

In this quantitative research study, student performance data were collected from 2014-2016 summer bridge program participants to examine the relationship between participation in the MCC summer bridge program and selected student outcomes by comparison to a matched group of students who did not participate in the program. The research questions…

Texas House Bill 2223 (2017) was developed to accelerate underprepared students' persistence and successful completion of credit-bearing college-level courses. This new corequisite mandate allows underprepared students to enroll in entry-level college courses and requires co-enrollment in a developmental education course/intervention designed to…