This descriptive, cross-sectional, mixed methods study focused on an anonymous state-wide nonprofit organization in a mid-Atlantic state and the perspectives and insights of the mentors who work directly with first-generation immigrant high school students as they assist their mentees through the college and scholarship application process. The…

This program evaluation investigates the effectiveness of a Long Beach Unified School District's High School College and Career Center, focusing on strategies to close ethnicity gaps in College and Career Readiness (CCR). Utilizing surveys, interviews, and focus groups, data was collected from current and past students, parents, and staff at VAPA…

Students entering the workforce or college after high school must demonstrate both technical skills and highly sought-after durable skills in order to be prepared for college and careers. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to study the lived experiences of 10 students who participated in a secondary Career and Technical…

Students of all ability levels, including those identified with intellectual disabilities (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), can benefit from improving their ability to take their knowledge out of the lower-order learning realm and transferring or applying into higher-order learning. Practical application of knowledge is important for…

This study centered student perspectives from one high school in Southwest Washington on push out and push in factors related to high school leaving. While there has been significant research conducted on risk factors associated with early school leaving, there has been very little published research that centers student voice and their…

This dissertation explores how the political economy particular to southern Dallas, Texas impacts a community-based college-readiness program for high school students in a Latino community. A community-based educational space (CBES) operated by a civil rights organization serving Latino youth who would be the first-generation to attend university,…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of implementing Project TEAM by examining its effects on school culture, teacher pedagogy, and program viability as measured by The CIPP Program Evaluation Model and The "Program Evaluation Standards" 2011. Project TEAM is a transition age occupational therapy based curriculum…

Colleges and universities spend billions of dollars each year to enroll a shrinking population of college-bound students. However, relatively little is known about the high-ability, high achieving students whose enrollment decisions can have positive effects on retention, graduation, faculty satisfaction, alumni giving, and overall institutional…

Parent involvement during the transition planning meetings prior to graduation was aligned with real student success in post-secondary outcomes of work or education. When parents were not aware or had access to resources for supporting successful transitions, special needs students suffered, specifically of African American culture. This study…

The transition from high school to college is both scary and unfamiliar to each year's new participants. For high school students attending school in underserved communities, this transition can be lonely and often inaccessible. To combat this, nonprofits and other community organizations provide additional support services to students during this…

The choices available to high school seniors for post-secondary higher education are numerous. Each choice and destination providing a different education element and outcome for the potential student. Numerous choices exist outside of the standard traditional four-year university recommendation option that is often provided. This quantitative…

Recent federal legislation mandates that college and career readiness be integrated into the curriculum for all high school students (National Center for Education Achievement, n.d.). To support economic growth, educated individuals must be available within an industry and local area (Harvey et al., 2019). Therefore, "[t]he essence of college…

Students with disabilities have been shown to be less ready for college and career when they leave high school than students without disabilities. Secondary transition is the process of a student with disabilities moving from school to post-school settings. Research has shown that participation in career and technical education (CTE) while still…

The post high school transition for males with a specific learning disability (SLD) can be challenging. Unemployment among persons with disabilities was markedly higher than those without. There was also mounting evidence that showed that persons with disabilities had difficulties adjusting to post-secondary environments. For male students with…

The education pipeline is characterized by a series of well-defined and extensively documented transitions. From preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle to high school, and college to work, students at multiple stages of human development experience transitions that shape their downstream outcomes. In this dissertation, I use…