Nearly one-quarter of American adults have low-level literacy skills. Existing research provides a great deal of quantitative information about skill levels and attainment, but little information exists that highlights the contextualized experiences of adult learners. In this phenomenological study, we explored individual adult learners'…

Low persistence and high attrition rates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are major challenges in higher education, particularly among underrepresented students. Therefore, it is important to identify barriers and examine strategies aimed at improving persistence, retention, and student completion in STEM courses and…

Two persistent shortcomings of the American labor market are the wage gaps and unequal unemployment rates that exist between racial groups. More specifically, Black and Latinx high school graduates earn less and are more likely to be unemployed than their White counterparts, on average. Likewise, students from low-income families are much more…

A 2019 report from the American Council of Education revealed stark inequities in higher education between minority students and their white counterparts (Espinosa et al., 2019). Of particular concern was the performance of Black students, who had continued to underperform in every measurable metric. Therefore, with this knowledge and the renewed…

Open-access colleges are an important pathway to economic mobility for millions of Americans. But graduation rates at these colleges are low--for example, only 36 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen at community colleges graduate within three years. Over the last two decades, MDRC and others have conducted research to build the evidence base…

Latinx community college students have lower persistence and completion rates than White and Asian students (Causey et al., 2022). Results of a systematic literature review found the following root causes for these low retention rates: financial barriers, lack of institutional support, educational preparation, psychosocial considerations, and…

A growing literature suggests the combination of financial aid, academic support and student advising may be needed to ensure that students, especially low-income students, not only enroll in college but obtain a degree. Established at CUNY in 1965, the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program is a legislatively mandated…

Retention has been an issue in higher education for decades (Freedman, 1956; Noel et al., 1986; Tinto, 1987, 2012). Many attempts have been made to address this issue, with most research focusing on the freshman year. Recently, increasing focus has centered on sophomore students and what may cause them to leave college early. However, even after…

In the United States, beginning teacher retention rates are extraordinarily low; only 50% of teachers remain in the classroom after five years. In particular, the state of Arizona has been recruiting significant numbers of teachers from out of state and attempting to retain them with minimal success. This persistent problem has led the neediest of…

Student retention is a key outcome measure for post-secondary education, but data show relatively stagnant retention rates over the past decade. Longstanding interventions such as counseling, academic advising, and mentoring provide crucial student services, but little change in retention rates suggest there is still need for additional student…

The purpose of this study is to explore whether training job seekers in the positive psychological resource of psychological capital (PsyCap) facilitates their job search activities and outcomes. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, we examined the impact of the PsyCap training on job seekers success. Our findings demonstrated that those who…

This nonexperimental, longitudinal panel study was designed to test the predictive capacity of a grit intervention within a first-year seminar course that targeted academically underprepared students at a Mississippi community college. Extant pre- and post-grit scores for developmental students enrolled in the first-year seminar were analyzed for…

Significant numbers of early career teachers decide to leave the profession every year. National data indicate that more than 44% of teachers leave the profession within five years and teachers in high-needs schools are more apt to leave after the first year. Attrition is a salient concern for the field of education because of its financial…

This study examines the effects of an incentivized summer enrollment initiative on student persistence. In particular, we analyze how participation in summer classes (at least 3 credit hours) affect students' likelihood to reenroll in the fall semester at a two-year, private, technical college in Boston. The novel initiative, which provides…

Student retention is a major concern for many universities. We use observational data from a regional university located in Alabama to test whether taking a first-year seminar improves student retention rates. Using a linear probit model, we find that taking a first-year seminar course is negatively correlated with retention rates, after…