Los Padillas Elementary School is part of a network of community schools supported by Albuquerque Public Schools and the ABC (Albuquerque/Bernalillo County) Community School Partnership. Since 2018--when Los Padillas adopted the community school strategy in response to its MRI (More Rigorous Intervention) designation due to low test scores--the…

An increasing body of robust evidence concludes that corequisite remediation in math and English is a cost-effective alternative to traditional developmental education, offering improved immediate course progression and potentially better persistence and completion. This is the first study to disentangle the impacts of the two main elements of the…

This study uses an asset-based lens to explore the support college students give to others in their social network. Retention literature often categorizes students as passive receivers of social support. Qualitative data comes from a 3-year longitudinal study of college students who graduated from the same urban school district, drawing from a…

Colorado's rural communities face challenges recruiting and retaining qualified teachers, leaders, and special service providers. The Colorado Center for Rural Education (CCRE) has created and implemented a comprehensive system for professional development of effective educators for rural school districts. The CCRE has expanded educator pathway…

Passing the introductory calculus sequence is critical to undergraduate students' retention in STEM programs. This study examines the relations between three interrelated processes found to influence mathematics learning and achievement: spatial skills, spatial anxiety, and math anxiety. Additionally, it examines the role of gender on these…

Problem: Amongst the highest at-risk student populations are minority students (students of color), first-generation college students, students from low-socioeconomic status, students experiencing financial challenges, and those who enter college academically underprepared. Furthermore, studies have found a significant gap in the educational…

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant disruption across the world. These two studies provide a mixed methods approach to understanding how undergraduate college students at one university were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first, a quantitative study, examines changes in mean, median, and standard deviation of GPAs in the semesters…

In an era of education defined by standards and accountability, teacher retention continues to be a major factor contributing to student achievement levels. Particularly in under-resourced, Title I-funded schools the challenge of maintaining adequate staffing of highly qualified educators, especially in mathematics, remains a pressing challenge…

This study investigated the factors influencing retention among Catholic private school teachers in the Pacific Northwest, focusing on motivational and external elements. Employing a mixed-methods approach, including surveys and interviews with five teachers, I delved into the impact of intrinsic motivators like leadership and school culture as…

There is an underrepresentation of African American males in K-20 education. The problem is that resiliency could be a factor that contributes to the underrepresentation of African American male leaders. Research suggests that American students could obtain their high school diploma without learning from an African American male instructor. Yet,…

First-generation college students are a prominent higher education student population and are well-represented at the community college. Unfortunately, many first-generation community college students do not persist for degree completion. These students face many academic and social challenges that impact their persistence. However, research has…

The primary audience for this book is first-generation college students. Whether they are in two-year or four-year colleges, I give the readers an example of the power of a parent's dream, the positive and negative outcomes of a student's hard work, the stuff caring teachers and supportive school administrators are made of, and the significance of…

This study intends to better understand the experiences of poor and working-class undergraduate college students who are enrolled full-time at state flagship universities and who hold on-campus leadership positions within high-intensity student organizations. This study explores how poor and working-class students come to high-intensity…

Career technical education (CTE) in the 21st century has been a highly visible component of the American public educational framework, with the majority of graduates estimated to have taken at least one CTE course during their time in school. Yet as CTE continues to benefit from atypically broad levels of support in both legislative circles as…

This dissertation investigates first-year college students' academic, personal, and spiritual expectations at a Utah university, focusing on the available resources to help them meet these expectations. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the study highlights the gap between students' anticipated and actual experiences, significantly…