This qualitative phenomenological study investigated the perspectives of university students who self-identified as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) regarding the academic support systems they received and/or required to graduate on time. The study's primary objective was to discover support mechanisms that supported DACA recipients…

High school graduation represents a pivotal milestone with far-reaching implications for an individual's future in social, economic, professional, and personal spheres. Despite its significance, only approximately 85.5% of students in the United States successfully earn their diploma each year, with groups such as black, Hispanic, American…

This mixed methods study examines the design process and capacity of four high school master schedules to provide language support while moving newcomer students successfully towards graduation and college prep coursework. All four schools house newcomer programs and reside in the same large urban school district. Through qualitative interviews,…

The study represented an examination of the factors influencing students' ability to successfully graduate from postsecondary institutions and whether this differs between high school equivalency credential earners and high school diploma earners. The study has clarified a predictive relationship among type of high school credential and graduation…

There is a national push for college completion. For some students, graduation may be stymied by financial status, in addition to other factors. The current study was conducted through secondary analysis of matching archival datasets from select East Texas institutions on full-time, first-time-in-college students with no previous college…

This mixed methods study examined the effects of experiential learning on student completion and academic success in a business course at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, South Carolina. Completion rates and end-of-course grades were compared between non-experiential learning participants and experiential learning participants in…

The purpose of this study was to explore special education graduation rates for students who were involved in sports and/or extracurricular activities. Previous research has established that participation in athletics and extracurricular activities provides important health and social benefits for children. Federal laws help to ensure that…

Between the years 2012 and 2013, Black students in U.S. postsecondary institutions persisted to graduation in Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees at a rate that was 56 percent lower than White college students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain insight and understanding of how factors of campus climate,…

The purpose of this research was to investigate characteristics of students in the Complete College America (CCA) cohort at a rural Western community college and the relationship of those characteristics with the students' perception of success. Student graduation and success rates are low at community colleges, nationwide. CCA is actively working…

The college graduation rates for African-Americans, as compared to other ethnic cohorts, remains at a continuous low level. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2014), 1,602,480 baccalaureate degrees were conferred nationwide to college students during 2009-2010. The purpose of this phenomenological research study is to…

National trends show that college academic readiness and subsequent graduation rates continue to decline despite added attention being paid to advanced curriculum while in high school. This study utilized existing data to determine the relationship between completing or taking Advanced Placement® course(s) during high school and subsequent college…

Postsecondary access and degree completion are increasingly important concerns for individuals and policymakers. This dissertation presents evidence on three distinct strategies for increasing students' level of preparedness for higher education, rates of postsecondary enrollment, and rates of postsecondary degree completion. The first is an…

The focus of this research was on students' low graduation rate in a New York State high school, investigating a possible correlation between students' longitudinal English Language Arts (ELA) exams and their graduation status. In the 2010-11 school year, 25% of the students at the high school of study failed to graduate, a rate which was 5% lower…

NCAA data indicates that Division III student-athletes are graduating at higher rates than their non-athlete peers. Graduation rate data alone do not provide a full understanding of student-athletes' academic success. The data thus far simply show empirically that student-athletes have a higher federal six-year graduation rate, but…

Quality in higher education today is often measured by institutional accountability indicators. The purpose of this study was to examine trends and explore correlational relationships of the performance indicators deemed important to the stakeholders of two postsecondary institutions in the State of Georgia--retention rate, graduation rate, and…