The focus of this study is on understanding different indicators of academic performance in high school, college enrollment, and college persistence of English Learners--including variation in attainment among active and former English Learners--to support their path to high school graduation and access to college. To understand the academic…

Computer science (CS) programs offered at 2-year institutions are important, as they could significantly impact disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes (i.e., equity gaps) for Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and low-income students. These groups have been historically marginalized in 4-year CS programs and often face…

We appeal to critical race theory and intersectionality to examine achievement gaps at a large public university in the American southwest from 2000 to 2015. Using white, high-income women as our reference group, we report linear combinations of marginal effects for six-year graduation rates and developmental course taking across 20 distinct…

Institutions of higher education invest a lot of resources into supporting and retaining students, and most colleges and universities offer systems of support for students who struggle academically in the form of support programs for students on academic probation. This study aimed to determine the demographic factors that potentially contribute…

Latinos are the largest growing population in America, and thus, have the potential to have the greatest impact on our nation's economy. However, Latinos also graduate college at a lower rate than their counterparts. This article focuses on the various cultural, social, and financial barriers Latino students face and provides recommendations for…

Improving graduation rates is one of the biggest missions in many universities across the country and it is surely the case on the campus of this institution. The work here presents a statistical tool box to use early academic performance as a predictor for graduation with logistic regression and machine learning techniques. The methods described…

Public flagship universities were established to provide an excellent education to state residents. These premier, well-resourced institutions are therefore ideally positioned to address the longstanding inequities in college access and completion. With proven histories of tackling societal challenges head-on, such as combating climate change and…

The data above provide insight into the range of student outcomes for colleges participating in the American Association of Community Colleges's (AACC's) Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA), a national system of metrics designed by community colleges for community colleges to better describe the outcomes of their students. As the data…

Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are facing many challenges including state funding, competition, and maintaining the best possible graduation rate. This study: (1) examined the strategic plans and strategic planning processes to explore how, and to what extent, these tool are being used to address these challenges; and (2) explored the…

This dissertation investigates the use of the 2015-2020 Tennessee Higher Education Commission's (THEC) outcomes-based funding model (also known as the performance-based or progression rate model) applied to one college in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) during a recessionary period (2007-2009). The VCCS currently employs an…

An education benefit available to all corporate and franchisee employees of the large quick service restaurant (QSR) under study is an opportunity to achieve a high school diploma at no cost by enrolling in online high school (OHS). The purpose of this research was to explore the role of Thomas Gilbert's behavior engineering model…

A clear set of student performance goals can serve as the central driver of not only a state's accountability system, but also the entire education system. Well-articulated goals serve numerous critical purposes, including clarifying the state's aspirations and priorities for its students, schools, and the future of the state more broadly;…

Student success and graduation rates are a continuing challenge for higher education institutions. A growing number of states connect funding to learning outcomes such as student progression, retention, and graduation rates (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012; Complete College America, 2011; Diamond, 2012). Student attrition and graduation rates…

This study assessed the impact of a course required of students placed on Academic Probation at a 4-year university. We focused our analysis on the 4,673 students who took the course as part of the 2008-2012 Fall cohorts, examining in detail the demographic composition of students taking the course as well as the timing of when the course was…

The 3-year graduation rate is a rarely measured metric in higher education compared to its 4- or 6- year graduation rate counterparts. For the first time in college (FTIC) students to graduate in three years, they must come with certain skills, abilities, plans, supports, or motivations. This project considers two distinct but interrelated ways of…