This study examined the effectiveness of the Carolina College Advising Corps (CCAC) on two college readiness outcomes: advanced college preparatory course enrollment and SAT test-taking behaviors. The focus of this study is on concrete college readiness measures beyond mere college aspirations, as these measures more accurately predict college…

Despite recent gains, Latinx students still lag behind other subgroups on measures of academic attainment. Explanations for this gap have ranged from pernicious deficit ideologies to deterministic frameworks which emphasize differences in human capital. While culturally responsive pedagogies are promising alternatives, there are few studies that…

This research study focused on the potential factors impacting students with disabilities (SWDs) course placement and graduation rates at Simmons High School (SHS), a large urban school in Massachusetts. Preliminary research found that approximately 50% of SWDs graduate each school year at SHS and are historically marginalized compared to their…

This study aimed to investigate the relationships, if any, between Ready to Graduate indicator, average ACT scores, chronic absenteeism rates, and school counselor to student ratios in Tennessee's four urban counties surrounding Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville, Tennessee. Only eight of Tennessee's 95 counties have a population that…

This study examines the impact of high school academic indicators and participation in the federally funded Upward Bound program on college graduation rates for first-generation, low-income students. Specifically the extent to which participation in the federally funded TRIO Upward Bound program and related factors--high school GPA, course rigor,…

First-generation college students (FGCS), nearly 50% of which identify as Hispanic, are an underserved population. The psychosociocultural theoretical framework posits that individual, environmental, and cultural factors contribute to the academic success of Hispanic students. This study examined the relationship between these factors (i.e.,…

The culture of a science classroom favors a particular speech community. Thus membership requires students to become bilingual and bicultural at the same time. The complexity of learning science rests in that it not only possesses a unique lexicon and discourse, but it ultimately entails a particular way of knowing. This study examines the…

The U.S. Department of Education introduced the four-year adjusted cohort high school graduation rate formula in 2008 to usher high school graduation in as a high-stakes accountability metric. This policy sought to address disparate graduation rates by student race but did not attend to systemic reasons why minoritized students had lower…

This mixed methods study examines the design process and capacity of four high school master schedules to provide language support while moving newcomer students successfully towards graduation and college prep coursework. All four schools house newcomer programs and reside in the same large urban school district. Through qualitative interviews,…

Despite the unprecedented challenges Ohio's education community faced at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, Ohio remains committed to using evidence, data and feedback from the Ohio School Report Cards to guide our continuous improvement journey toward excellence in education. This year, the Ohio School Report Cards will not feature overall…

Postsecondary education is vital to thrive, not just survive. Eighty percent of good-paying jobs require postsecondary education, and 56 percent require a bachelor's degree or higher. While the nation's high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 85 percent, students are insufficiently prepared for postsecondary education and the…

This study was designed to add to the body of work around specialized campuses in the state of Texas. These campuses are becoming increasingly popular across the nation and there is little data to support whether they or traditional campuses are more successful when it comes to student outcomes. This research aims to determine if specialized…

Academic preparation is a key factor in readiness for college-level work. Students who enroll in rigorous courses while in high school realize better secondary and postsecondary outcomes. Evidence from California suggests that rigorous learning opportunities may not be equally distributed across the state, prompting questions about course…

The Chancellor of the Oklahoma state system of higher education has focused on two overarching objectives: expanding workforce development efforts and creating paths to a better life for Oklahomans. Oklahoma public institutions and elected officials are partners in developing an educated, engaged workforce prepared to meet the state's current and…

With an increase in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in the United States, many of whom have higher intellectual ability, there is a predicted increase in the number of college-bound students. Affected young adults face a "Services Cliff" as they transition into adulthood. Our study examined a nationally represented sample of…