Over the past decade, Tennessee has invested in several policies addressing the educational attainment of adult learners. One of these policies, Tennessee Reconnect, is a last-dollar scholarship for eligible adults to attend community college free of tuition and mandatory fees. In 2021, two community colleges participated in a year-long pilot…

In the United States, language education programs are increasingly popular and have expanded considerably in recent years. At the same time, very little data exists on the leadership practices that have guided the most successful language education programs (Forman, 2015; Hutton, 2018; Rocque et al., 2016). This study filled that gap by exploring…

Near-Peer Mentoring (NPM) is an innovative form of Peer-assisted Learning that has been gaining traction in educational settings. Traditionally, NPM is characterized by a more experienced student (typically a year or more advanced) offering guidance and support to newer, less experienced students, with the aim of helping them navigate the…

This dissertation shines a light on the indomitable spirit of African American male students, who exhibit remarkable resilience despite facing persistent challenges such as underrepresentation, academic underachievement, and racial and socioeconomic disparities. It delves into the critical role of programs and services in promoting academic…

Student retention at the study site community college had decreased, which negatively impacted funding. Increased student support that incorporates elements of the positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA) model could improve retention rates. This mixed-methods case study examined the effectiveness of a…

Many institutions of higher education struggle with low retention rates. One state liberal arts college addressed this concern by assigning an academic case manager to higher risk students. This project evaluated the effectiveness of the case manager on student credit hours and retention using a randomized control trial. The case manager contacted…

Teacher attrition is a significant concern for many districts. Teachers cite leaving the profession for a variety of reasons. These high attrition rates have a negative impact on rural districts, creating a loss of experience and respect for the profession. The purpose of this study is to explore perceptions of leadership support and Grow Your Own…

Community colleges provide broad access to a college degree due to their less expensive tuition, greater course time offerings, and more open admission policies compared to four-year universities as reported (Juszkiewicz, 2015). These institutions have great potential to diversify who chooses STEM, such as engineering. Such diverse representation…

The study below outlines the impact of an Early Alert Program at a Southeastern HBCU, examining this system's impact both between two cohort years, 2022 and 2023 respectively, and within the 2023 cohort. Further factors analyzed include the impact of gender, living on or off-campus, and the student's participation in tutorial services on campus.…

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study research project was to explore the structures of different beginning teacher mentoring models and their effectiveness at retaining new teachers into the next school year. The focus is on the perspective of the program administrators, not on the perspectives of the teachers involved. The cases…

The Engaged Engineering Program (EEP) project at ABC University is a five-year Track 2 NSF S-STEM that responds to challenges in recruiting and retaining academically talented, low-socioeconomic status students from diverse backgrounds into undergraduate engineering programs. The EEP project has successfully recruited four cohorts of Scholars and…

This research explored the relationship between foundation skill learners' characteristics and outcomes, and how foundation skills programs contribute to learners' VET outcomes, employment and further study. Through an analysis of individual student pathways, the research examined the student and program characteristics indicative of completing a…

Many rural high-need districts face persistent challenges in retaining a quality teaching force. The researcher designed this quantitative correlational study to explore superintendents' perceptions of the effectiveness of teacher retention practices used in rural high-need districts in New York State and aspects of the Deming Cycle…

This updated 2022 annotated bibliography reviews nine postsecondary peer cooperative learning programs that have been implemented nationally and internationally to increase student achievement. A number of the publications report how they adapted their programs due to COVID-19 restrictions and online delivery platforms. They have been so satisfied…

As the price of college and its associated costs continue to rise, students are often left without the necessary financial resources to succeed in class and cover their basic needs. According to previous research, a student's ability to cover essential expenses poses a significant barrier to degree completion. Students' ability to cover expenses…