This study describes the collaboration among a school counselor, a school counselor intern, an Advanced Placement Psychology teacher, and a counselor educator to improve African-American access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework and increase success on the AP Psychology national examination. The team initiated a process that recruited African…

The community college as the entranceway into the baccalaureate degree is becoming a prevalent choice for students. This study was a qualitative approach to understanding attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge acquisition by successful community college transfer students. University students who transferred from a community college and were making…

Interventions such as the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) are among the national strategies for promoting doctoral degree attainment amongst first-generation college students from low socioeconomic backgrounds or groups underrepresented in graduate education. This study aimed to understand how…

The arrival of a new generation of students, known as the Net Generation (Junco, 2010), into colleges and universities has demanded changes to the traditional administrative and support services provided on campuses across the nation. In times of ever-changing technological advances, colleges and universities have begun to utilize new and…

This eye-opening set looks at young children with special needs, their families, and the laws, policies, programs, and services designed to help them. It is scientifically known that early childhood is a time of significant brain development. That makes it especially crucial that children with special needs be recognized early so that appropriate…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to observe if students' levels of Mathematics Self-Efficacy (MSE) had any effect on how they used resources available to them through an academic intervention and retention program. The sample size consisted of 81 students admitted to a four year university under the special criteria of…

More than 32,000 young people in the United States exit the foster care system in a typical year by aging out to independence (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011). Despite available financial support for post-secondary education through the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, only 20% of college-qualified foster youth attend college and…

In the May/June issue of "Change", US Undersecretary of Education Martha J. Kanter described President Barack Obama's plan for recapturing the position of the best-educated country in the world by 2020. She spelled out the formula for meeting the President's ambitious goal: increasing postsecondary access, improving the quality of a…

The Children's Bureau released highlights from state National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) data submissions from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2013 (October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013). In this third year of data collection, states reported information on (1) all youth and young adults who received independent living services during FFY 2013…

The Middle College High School (MCHS) is an optional high-school format, typically co-sponsored by community colleges and local school districts. Students complete core high-school graduation requirements while concurrently completing college courses. This dissertation presents an analysis of the academic achievement and educational plans of the…

Assessment has garnered increased interest in recent years. It is seen as critical to enhancing student learning and understanding. Formative assessment tools such as concept inventories could be valuable in moving toward such goals. Concept inventories, a recent addition to biology education, hold much promise for helping faculty to understand…

Undocumented Hispanic students in higher education have many challenges and barriers to overcome. This qualitative study investigated the emerging themes identified in the lived experiences of five undocumented Hispanic (UH) students who successfully completed their education in a two-year college in southeast Texas. This phenomenological…

Colleges and Universities have a myriad of choices in how to organize enrollment services delivery. Formalizing collaborative services to create stronger more comprehensive linkages and cross-functional service delivery in a student-centric, relationship-oriented manner is important for meeting the expectations of today's students. In support…

Almost 11% of college students have a disability (Newman, Wagner, Cameto, Knokey, & Shaver, 2010). Existing research indicates that students with disabilities have difficulty with retention and graduation (Newman, Wagner, Cameto, & Knokey, 2009). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a type of disability that has increased among students in…

The focus of this study was the experience of students who had successfully achieved the transition from foster care to enrollment in Virginia Community Colleges. The following questions guided the inquiry: How do students who are emancipating from foster care describe their transition to enrollment at one of the Virginia Community Colleges? What…