This qualitative research focuses on a curriculum, "Oil-land," designed and implemented at a public high school in the United States. The premise of the course was to explore complexities associated with the American oil and gas industry using elements of inquiry-based learning, shared dialogue, and with an expectation to take action.…

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…

Administrators of higher education systems have found that their state and federal funding have been adversely affected by the economic crisis plaguing the United States, but they must still provide the student population with an environment that is conducive to learning. To accomplish this task, administrators of both secondary and post-secondary…

Early College High Schools and Early College Entrance Programs offer college material to students who are ready for it before they reach the traditional age to begin college enrollment. With the goal of addressing concerns related to the success of these programs and their impact on affective development among students, a systematic review and…

Through engagement with critical literacies and multiliteracies, an urban classroom becomes a space of agency and resistance for students and teacher alike.

Non-traditional college students benefit from unconventional teaching methods. Hispanic students now attend colleges and universities in growing numbers, and still this demographic is the least likely to earn a postsecondary credential. Due to the projected growth of the nation's Hispanic population, efforts to support the success of…

Using Merton's (1957) anticipatory socialization theory, this qualitative study explored how participation in dual credit in high school helped introduce 12 female students to the academic and social aspects of college to ease their first-year transitions. These students, who entered one Texas university with between 15 and 78 dual credits,…

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to examine the perceptions and experiences of Latina students, who were underperforming in an early college high school (ECHS), regarding their achievement and experiences. Additionally, the school's institutional documents were used to critically assess the viability of the ECHS as an equity-oriented,…

Research on school reform and implementation has found that past efforts to scale up interventions in schools often results in little change in the core work of teaching and learning (Elmore, 1996). That is, there are often few changes in the work students do with teachers. Thus it is important for researchers and school reformers to know how…

School counselors help foster student's academic, social, and career development; yet, school counselors are often neglected in research on school climate and student safety. Framed by the theory of planned behavior, this study examined how 206 school counselors' multicultural counseling competence, multicultural self-efficacy, and perceptions of…

Inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs) (where STEM is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) admit students on the basis of interest rather than competitive examination. This study examines the central assumption behind these schools--that they provide students from subgroups underrepresented in STEM with experiences that equip them…

In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation extended grants to three educational organizations working to develop or enhance competency-based approaches in large, urbanized school systems. The grant initiative, called Project Mastery, funded the development of technology-enhanced tools, including curriculum materials and online learning…

In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation created the Project Mastery grant program to support competency-based education initiatives in large school systems that serve a high proportion of disadvantaged youth. Competency-based education meets students where they are academically, provides students with opportunities for choice, and awards…

This study investigated the lived experiences of first-generation college students and the perceived influence of taking high school Advanced Placement (AP) courses on their college education. The following research questions were addressed: (a) what motivated students to consider going to college, (b) what was their experience in taking AP…

Expanded learning time and opportunities (ELTO) requires a committed school leader who is willing to partner with community-based organizations in order to provide strong academic and enrichment daily experiences for his or her students. This article examines four such leaders and the diverse approaches they took to implement ELTO in their…