The purpose of this study was to explore constituent perspectives of the California Community Colleges Historically Black Colleges and Universities Transfer Guarantee Program. The researcher queried representatives from participating community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities regarding their perspectives of the program.…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how the staff of campus-based programs that support foster youth describe the program interventions as they influence student competency, autonomy, and relatedness at a community college. This study employed the self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens to better understand the needs…

The magnitude and scale of current threats to ecosystems requires interdisciplinary approaches to both science and training. For example, urbanization has resulted in increased runoff from communities into coastal habitats, necessitating work across the marine-terrestrial interface. This runoff holds myriad pollutants which can impact vulnerable…

Students are not learning to read well in California public schools. This is particularly true for students in special education. If more of California's students in special education are to demonstrate literacy skills to state and national standards, it will require more of their teachers teaching those skills. With the plurality of California…

The goal of this comparative study was to examine the investment in faculty who were trained in culturally relevant pedagogy through the Unity Community Education Foundation Summer Learning Institute and the Garden Community College's homegrown Unity Mini-Summer Learning Institute. The study explored instructor development and institutional…

This research, a phenomenological study, examined four different local churches in Rwanda to identify the key strategies and methods used to establish an orphan care culture and ministry. Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California has partnered with the country of Rwanda to end the orphan crisis. As of today, 35 orphanages in the country of…

School site leaders historically have experienced high levels of burnout and turnover. Principals cite long work hours, increased responsibilities with local, state, and federal accountability, increased stress and low pay as a few of the reasons jobs are abandoned within the first five years. LEAD currently provides professional learning for…

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to illuminate the prevalence and configurations of peer mentoring programs at Central California Community Colleges with emphasis on how the programs impacted student retention. The study's sample was drawn from ten campuses and five centers that operate within five California Community…

This paper discusses a collaborative inquiry (CI) that explored a California community college program known as Puente. The purpose of the inquiry was to bring together different stakeholders involved with Puente---students, mentors, counselors, and instructors---to engage in group dialogue and share their perceptions about the functions of the…

The importance of principal preparation in special education has increased since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975. There are significant financial reasons for preparing principals in the area of special education. Recent research also shows that all children learn better in an inclusive environment. Principals who…

The Three article dissertation is a program review of the Counseling 50 college preparedness program at Fullerton College, Fullerton California. Article I is a comprehensive review of literature on educational legislation during the 1960s that led to the development of educational programs and opportunities for students from underrepresented…

California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program (BTSA) is a high stakes induction program; a new teacher's completion of a BTSA induction program leads to the California clear credential. The cornerstone of the BTSA induction program is the mentor, also known as a support provider. Mentors provide a variety of services to new…

This study examines the impact the California School Boards Association's (CSBA) Masters in Governance (MIG) training program has on effective school board governance practice. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between effective school boards and a commitment to seek and attend school board training. This…

Over the past few decades, partnerships between school districts and post-secondary institutions have increased. The primary purpose has been to create and deliver dual enrollment programs for high school students. This case study focused on one partnership between a large school district in California and a private four-year non-profit college.…

This dissertation reports on a study investigating the identity of first-year university students as writers. The longitudinal project explored how students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds construct their identities as undergraduates and as academic writers in their first year. The research was qualitative and interpretative, and used…