All students, regardless of race or ethnicity, benefit from having teachers and school leaders of color. Since principals of color are often more likely to hire and retain teachers of color, increasing school leader diversity is a key lever for addressing educational inequities. To provide advocates and policymakers with context on this important…

Human capital theory suggests that lifetime income and socioeconomic status is a function of investments in human capital (Becker, 1962 & 1994; Becker & Tomes, 1986; Tomes, 1981). More recent developments show that human capital accumulation depends on mental health (Fletcher, 2008), in addition to ability, and access to resources to…

The purpose of my phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the impact of family involvement and engagement on the persistence of first-generation Latinx students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designated university. Grounded in Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth (CCW) model, I explored the ways CCW assets learned from…

Few studies address the lived experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) students in engineering. Grounded in critical trans politics (Spade, 2015), this dissertation contributes to the literature on TGNC students in engineering by examining their experiences negotiating their identities while navigating interrelated systems of…

Low student completion rates have increased pressure on college and university administrators across the country to raise retention and graduation rates and have forced the review of many practices on campus. This qualitative study aimed to examine the effects of financial aid on higher educational persistence among African American males.…

Annually, approximately one million students drop out of college or university. About 43% of first-time, full-time students at public universities graduate within six years. This is a completion crisis according to some education leaders. Student support initiatives like learning communities are promising. This quantitative study investigated the…

High schools throughout the United States, especially those serving high poverty and high minority communities, struggle to find qualified science teachers to fill vacancies, a situation that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This science teacher shortage is caused by a combination of low levels of recruitment into the…

This is the third brief summarizing results from the longitudinal analysis of the Transfer Opportunity Project (TOP). TOP, funded by a grant from the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), explores the possible factors contributing to the low percentage of community college students who go on to earn bachelor's degrees. The project uses a…

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…

The research on African American male students in higher education has increased over the past few decades, revolving around preparation, access, sense of belonging, retention, and persistence. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceived experiences of current students, graduates, and Divine Nine Greek Life…

Teacher retention is an ongoing problem in education, especially in small private schools where resources are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate educator perceptions of a new teacher induction and mentoring program to support first-year teachers and improve teacher effectiveness and the retention of new teachers. Cycle 1…

The campus climate of predominantly White institutions (PWIs) is often saturated by norms and traditions that are deeply rooted in oppression and exclusivity. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide context and share counter storytelling of Black female students who successfully navigated these campus spaces and places, and shared…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how special education teachers in San Antonio and the surrounding areas describe the coping strategies they use, and the effectiveness of those strategies, to manage their workload. It was not known how special education teachers describe effective coping strategies they use to…

There is limited research on the relation between approaches to learning (ATL) and Latino kindergarteners' math development, and mixed results regarding the role of Latino home numeracy practices. This study examined the associations among Latino kindergarteners' ATL, home numeracy practices, and growth in math skills. Participants were 151…

Retaining students in higher education is ever-changing, requiring continual evaluation and institutional commitment to ensure measures are implemented to meet the varying demands of today's college students. Student-athletes make up a large percentage of the overall student population on many college campuses, thus, warranting further research to…