In higher education, significant efforts have been made to improve student success outcomes. In this dissertation, two important problems related to student academic success are considered. The curriculum plays a crucial role in shaping student success. Curricular complexity has been shown to be inversely related to the graduation rate of…

Improving baccalaureate degree attainment for transfer students continues to be a key topic across the nation. The Associate Degree for Transfer is the latest attempt to improve outcomes. This quantitative study examines the effectiveness of the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway program as compared to other transfer pathway programs over a…

The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to investigate the success of students who use transfer articulation agreements to transfer from any of the 13 community colleges in Tennessee to one of the state's public, four-year, locally governed institutions to complete a bachelor's degree. Data were collected from five 4-year public…

Currently, there remains a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields despite recent efforts to increase numbers. The Department of Commerce is predicting that STEM job openings will grow 17% by 2018, which is a much faster rate than most other careers. These are among the highest-paying fields, in part…

The disparity in academic achievement between African American and White students in all levels of education has been one of the critical issues in education. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of school, community, and family on African American and White students' on the 8 th grade mathematics scores on the Missouri…