Purpose: The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the 1-year and 2-year persistence rates of Black students in Texas community colleges for the 2007-2008 through the 2014-2015 academic years. Specifically, the relationship of the 1-year and 2-year persistence rates for Black students as a function of their institutional status…

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify possible relationships between academic achievement, as measured by high school graduation rate and ACT composite scores of individual school districts within the state of Tennessee, and the per-pupil expenditure of each district. Research was conducted to determine whether a significant…

In 2014-15, the high school graduation rate reached a record high of 83 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2016). Despite the gains, over half a million students still drop out of high school each year (U.S. Department of Education 2015). High schools have adopted various strategies designed to keep students who are at risk of not graduating in…

This study uses the Clark and Estes gap analysis framework to examine completion rates in online learning. The purpose of this project was to identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational barriers influencing the first cohort of an online MBA program at a prestigious university. The results and recommendations from this study provide a…

This case was developed for use with future school and district leaders in an educational setting. There are several topics of discussion that can be developed, including but not limited to decentralization as a large-scale reform, policy implementation, the superintendency, and urban schools. The setting is a fictional southwestern urban school…

Launched in 1997, the Diversity Scholars Research Program (DSRP) is an undergraduate performance-based scholarship program that aims to attract academically talented, underrepresented minority (URM) students to the IUPUI campus. The program provides financial assistance (tuition, academic stipend, conference travel, and some housing), mentoring,…

Many interventions have been proposed to improve the retention and graduation rates of engineering students. One such intervention is to use study groups for first-year college students; such groups provide a structured environment in which the students can learn course material from each other outside of class and can provide the students with a…

Graduation efficiency is of top concern for institutions of higher education throughout the world. Increasingly, accountability metrics have come under scrutiny as policymakers seek to ensure public resources are efficiently used. Traditionally, higher education policymakers in the USA and Europe have used graduation rate as an accountability…

Purpose: For several decades, human and financial resources have been the focus of academic institutions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields of study because of low matriculation and graduation involving diverse student populations. However, there is a paucity of research about pathways to doctoral-level education and…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), from 2000-2010, in higher education there was a 73% increase in the enrollment of African American students in college and universities nationwide, however, the tragedy is that African American students have the lowest nationwide graduation and retention rates, and from 2010-2015…

This mixed methods study examined the effects of experiential learning on student completion and academic success in a business course at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, South Carolina. Completion rates and end-of-course grades were compared between non-experiential learning participants and experiential learning participants in…

"Reinvention" chronicles an unprecedentedly comprehensive approach to community college reform and the leadership challenges encountered along the way. The book addresses cultural clashes over the role and purpose of community colleges and argues for an emphasis on success and access. As chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Cheryl…

A decrease in West Virginia in-state college-going and graduation rates and a need for additional postsecondary degrees in the workforce in the state by 2020 require the support and implementation of an evidence-based intervention to ameliorate the pressing issue. This study considers the outcomes in regard to persistence and completion of West…

At post-secondary institutions in the United States, the frequent topics of discussion are undergraduate retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Researchers have identified specific factors that promote student retention, engagement, and degree completion; these factors involve a combination of academic and cognitive development and social…

Strengths-based education initiatives have been implemented at higher education institutions world-wide as efforts to enhance student retention and degree completion. The Oklahoma State University (OSU) College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) joined the institutions utilizing strengths identification and development…