This study explores the impact of instructional modality and session length on student success and retention in first-semester Japanese and Spanish language courses at a large urban community college. The research analyzed pre- and post-tests, final grades, and retention rates across multiple academic terms, including standard 16-week and…

Past research has shown that using an online student orientation can decrease anxiety for students taking online classes for the first time. This study focuses on the experience of first-time online students from a community college in South Texas using a multiple regression analysis to determine first-time online student readiness in the areas of…

For students who decide to enroll in college after high school graduation, there are numerous factors to consider when searching for potential matches and choosing from the available options. Ten recent high school graduates who participated in self-selected, ability-grouped, advanced academic courses in high school were interviewed at the end of…

College student persistence is of the most challenging issues currently facing higher education. This study is an exploration of grit, tenacity, and perseverance as demonstrated by 43 first-year students at a small, teaching-intensive university in South Texas in response to two required exercises assigned in a first-year seminar. Student…

The Texas Education Agency offers grants for districts to implement school turnaround strategies at low-performing schools. Districts that receive these grants can implement a school turnaround strategy (referred to as a district-managed restart strategy) that includes replacing principals and teachers at schools that the district identifies as…

Public schools have been under great scrutiny. National and international tests have exposed deficiencies of students' knowledge prompting federal and state legislation to focus on improving schools' effectiveness. The pressure induced by recent legislation have school districts scrambling to increase student achievement. One area of reform…

This study examined the challenges that pre-service teachers faced when implementing inquiry and their perspective on how to overcome them. The data sample was 55 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled into two sections of a science methods course in a private university in North Texas. The data sources consisted of inquiry-based lesson plans, PST…

These appendices accompany the full report that summarizes the implementation and evaluation of the Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program. The ACE program model is designed to improve employment and employment-related outcomes for low-skilled workers through formal partnerships between Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) and…

Because eligibility for Title I funding is dependent on the financial needs of schools' populations, many Title I schools face significant barriers to student achievement. Decades of research have shown that poverty has a strong negative impact on student academic performance (Herbers et al., 2012), and Title I schools frequently serve students…

This section on personal development is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Basic Life Skills and Job-Related Instruction.) It contains six instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…

This section on job-related instruction is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Personal Development and Basic Life Skills.) It contains nine instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…

This section on basic life skills is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Job Related Instruction and Personal Development.) It contains 10 instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…