Although course choice may shape students' academic futures, with some new courses, few students may register, resulting in course cancellation, lost student opportunities, and wasted faculty effort. This study aimed to explore the attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control factors influencing students' decisions to enroll in a new…

In the state of South Carolina, African American students make up 34% of the student population but 59% of students receive out-of-school suspension. It was assumed by prior research statistics that the disproportionality of discipline produces lower academic achievement for African American students. An examination of the disproportionality of…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to the education sector, and its ramifications have extended far beyond the extended closure of many American schools. Among other things, they include a substantial enrollment decline in a non-trivial number of public schools across the United States, some of which were already experiencing…

This dissertation was a multiple case study research project designed to identify whether the "Men of Merit Program" (MOMP) met its goal of increasing persistence, retention, and graduation rates of African American male students at a Western New York Community College. Earlier statistics reported that other American colleges had shown a…

In the landscape of modern education, the role of a superintendent has become increasingly complex, marked by demands for higher student achievement and round-the-clock communication. This complexity, underscored by technological advancements and evolving accountability measures, underscores the criticality of strategic planning for school…

There was a recognized high rate of students enrolled in technology programs who did not graduate college. Scholars who had studied predictors of college completion surmised there were several behavioral traits associated with a student achieving their college objectives through graduation; one of those factors was persistence. Persistence, the…

Mentoring is widely recognized as an effective approach to addressing educational needs in U.S. schools, emphasizing the importance of strong, long-term mentor-mentee relationships (Karaferye, 2018; Wood & Mayo-Wilson, 2012). These relationships can provide crucial support for youth facing social, emotional, and financial challenges (Kuperminc…

The State University of Iowa held inaugural commencement practices in 1857--a mere eleven years after Iowa became a state. The flagship, now named the University of Iowa (UI), has a long and storied commencement history. Commencements have been cancelled. They have been postponed. They have been displaced. But they have never been virtual…until…

Established in 2009, Complete College America (CCA) has emerged as one of the leading single-issue intermediary organizations advocating policy solutions to improve college completion in the USA. Although other entities that influenced the policy conversation at that time have ceased operation, CCA has maintained and, in fact, expanded its role in…

This chapter describes the role microcredentials can play within the context of guided pathways and degree completion, illustrated through three case studies of community colleges and systems.

Designing balanced and optimized degree plans is a fundamental challenge in higher education, directly impacting student success, graduation rates, and institutional efficiency. This paper presents an innovative framework that addresses this challenge through a two-stage optimization approach. The first stage focuses on selecting a set of courses…

There is tremendous interest among policymakers and advocates in diversifying the teacher labor market. This interest is driven at least in part by a growing body of research that points to the benefits of diverse teachers, particularly for students of color. While the diversity of the teacher workforce in the United States has increased in recent…

M-DCPS had 20,833 graduates in the 2021-2022 academic year as of June 2022. Most students, 89%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 857 (4%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 454 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An…

An increasing percentage of students entering postsecondary institutions are working at least part-time and balancing multiple identities, responsibilities, and demands on their time and resources. As student demographics change, postsecondary institutions must rise to meet these students where they are. Two effective ways to do that include…

Recent high dropout and low graduation rates in the South African higher education institutions as well as government funding cuts and the economic uncertainty due to COVID-19 pandemic have heightened the urgency for the higher education sector to improve its productivity. However, empirical evidence on the productivity growth of the sector…