The increase in the number of years of school within the Jamaican school system has caused the government of Jamaica to introduce the Six Form Pathway program. The program was introduced as an intervention method for students to stay in school longer in order to acquire the requisite subject or experience to attend university or to be employable.…

For decades, universities, colleges, researchers, policymakers, foundations, and think tanks have been trying to solve the issue of getting more students to persist to graduation. Research shows that the problem of increasing the number of students who graduate in four years with a college degree still exists. Black female students continue to…

With community colleges struggling with the completion rates of their students, it is important to understand the social and academic integration of community college students and their relationships to retention and completion. Research focuses on the critical role of internal college actors such as faculty, staff, and students in these…

Higher education institutions are increasingly relying on funding from the private sector (Council for Aid to Education, 2013) as state funding to higher education has decreased in recent years. Bridging the gap between university financial needs and available funding has become a high priority. In the process, higher education institutions have…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how mothers who were nontraditional students enrolled in a four-year college described their experiences with performance, persistence, and college degree completion. The theoretical foundation was Tinto's (1975) student departure theory. The two research questions were (1) How do…

In 2012, more than five percent of all postsecondary students were veterans or currently serving in the military, and 43% attended a public 2-year institution (Ahern, Foster, & Head, 2012). The Collegiate Veteran Affairs Program, at a public 2-year college in the southeastern part of the United States, serves as the point of contact for…

This study identified motivating factors that address specific barriers to success for students attending Alabama community colleges. The motivating factors identified in the research included academic support/tutoring programs, faculty mentoring programs, involvement in campus life, and personal resilience. The barriers include the lack of…

With a growing concern that society's needs are not being met, there are heightened expectations for accountability for public purposes. At the same time higher education institutions are experiencing increasing competition, as well as decreasing state support for public higher education. The concern is that competition for resources is overtaking…

First-generation female students in community colleges are dropping out and withdrawing from college at an alarming rate. There are women who are administrators and leaders in these institutions who were once first-generation college students. The research gleaned first-hand experiences from participants who were first-generation females. These…

During the past decade, Black male students have been enrolling in college in growing numbers. They have also been dropping out of college, prior to graduation, in high numbers. These trends have generated concern among educators and policymakers about the economic future of the Black community. Despite these concerns, most of the research on this…