The number of jobs requiring a postsecondary credential has increased in Texas, and jobs requiring only a high school diploma have become rare. For Texas to improve the future of individuals and the state, policymakers and higher education administrators must commit to closing educational gaps. Literature, reports, and studies have demonstrated…

With the 84th Legislature's House Bill 505 expansion of dual credit in Texas in fall 2015, students became eligible to begin coursework as early as ninth grade. Allowing students to begin college earlier in their high school journey triggered questions about their college and career readiness during transition to postsecondary coursework, which…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact early college high school, and dual credit programs had on students grade point average, the number of college credits earned, persistence rates, and completion rates at a central Texas community college. The researcher used a non-experimental quantitative study, with secondary non-identifying…

In response to the ban on affirmative action and the decrease in racial minority enrollment, the Texas legislature created the Texas Top 10% rule, which mandates public higher education institutions to admit undergraduate applicants who graduate in the top 10% of their high school class (Cortes & Friedson, 2014; Daugherty et al., 2014; Watkins…

In response to the rising cost of higher education, as well as the average time of six years to obtain a 4-year bachelor's degree, lawmakers, educators, and students have turned to credit-based collegiate programs as a potential solution. Dual credit is the most popular means to accumulate college credits at a lower cost. The body of research is…

Science self-efficacy is critical to the achievement and participation of students in science. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors (age, attitudes towards math, school climate, school rigorous expectations, and the number of advanced math and science courses taken) contributing to science self-efficacy in an Early College High…

Dual enrollment, also known as dual-credit enrollment or concurrent enrollment; is an innovative phenomenon that has swept through education in the last few decades closing the gap in the transition from high school to college. Dual enrollment allows high school students to be dually enrolled in courses that will earn them both high school and…

Improving the academic achievement of students for success in college in ways that lead to college degree attainment is a growing concern for our nation. Educators are exploring the topic of student engagement to better understand critical issues surrounding college degree attainment. Through analysis of data collected from the Survey of Entering…

Although access to postsecondary education for ethnic minorities has increased since desegregation in 1954, the college completion rates for these groups have not, particularly for African Americans. For this reason, it is important to continue to examine strategies that contribute to increases in completion rates for African Americans. The…

Texas' 2006 House Bill 1, which required all high schools in Texas to provide students with the opportunity to earn a minimum of 12 hours of college credit prior to their graduation beginning the fall of 2008, changed the high school experience. The goal of the bill was to smooth the transition from high school to higher education. By looking at…

The study tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy, stress, and acculturation are useful predictors of academic achievement in first year university science, independent of high school GPA and SAT scores, in a sample of Latino students at a South Texas Hispanic serving institution of higher education. The correlational study employed a mixed…

This multi-faceted study of dual credit programs in Texas was motivated by perceived discrepancies in dual credit data reporting and a lack of comprehensive, state-level information about dual credit student populations and coursework patterns. Using a P-16 framework, the author explored alignment issues that influence the delivery of dual credit…