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…

This article estimates the relationship between students' psychosocial and academic outcomes during their first 3 years enrolled at public, 4-year institutions. Our sample comprises students from low-income backgrounds who applied for a competitive scholarship and enrolled at a 4-year public institution. We follow two cohorts of entering students…

In recent years, there has been a shift in studies of black males and academic performance from a deficit perspective to a resilient framework. This study used a qualitative case study approach to understand black male college graduates' perceptions on the impact of the Middle or Early College high school (MEC) on their development of…

The purpose of this qualitative study intends to understand the concepts of self-authorship and the influence of masculinity upon self-authorship in the lived experiences of Christian men who attend a faith-based, liberal arts institution of higher education. Marcia Baxter Magolda's (2008) study on self-authorship shaped the conceptual framework…

States and local education systems hold the primary responsibility for delivering public education in the United States. During the past several years, the quality of the American education system has become national policy priority, replete with school reform efforts designed to hold all students to high standards, increase student achievement,…