This dissertation examines the perceptions of parents who open enroll their children in an alternative public school by diving into the lived experiences of these individuals. The research is grounded in three theoretical frameworks: Parent Involvement Theory (McCurdy and Daro, 2001), Rational Choice Theory (Adler et al., 2014), and Market Theory…

It is not known if Registration Time (early or late) or if Student Term (first-time or continuing) have a main or interaction effect on Student Belonging. The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study is to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in Student Belonging between Registration Time, Student Term and the…

Students in developmental math classes have been documented to struggle with arithmetic. This dissertation research was a response to the calls in the literature to qualitatively understand what students are learning in a classroom. Number sequences have been well researched to document the connection of student understanding of math in elementary…

Low-income students are underrepresented at selective colleges. Most evaluative criteria used by admissions officers are correlated with income, including test scores and performance in high school. Inspired in part by the current state of the use of testing in college admissions, this study examines how the quality of colleges attended by…

The role of intrusive advising in the persistence of community college students has not been well-studied even though intrusive advising has been touted as a practice to improve retention in U.S. community colleges. Student retention is important for sustaining community colleges that serve as open admissions institutions because they are…

Federal and state policies affecting higher education, like the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1832, Brown vs. Board of Education, and Higher Education Act of 1965 have posited change regarding the proliferation of diversity and expansion of access (Thelin, 2011). I analyzed BOT policies for enrollment and conducted a socio-diagnostic CDA on the…

School choice has expanded during the modern school choice movement and students in Indiana can now choose from several school options including public schools, charter schools, virtual schools, or participate in the Indiana Choice Scholarships program and attend a parochial school. The potential for increased educational stratification across…

This study addresses the persistent challenge of student retention in higher education by investigating the often-neglected role of staff in shaping student belonging and success, with a specific focus on open-enrollment, dual-mission institutions in Utah. Recognizing the complexities introduced by shifting student demographics and the growth of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of open access policies for Advanced Placement (AP) courses on student participation and performance, particularly focusing on minority and low-income students in a rural school district in Central Florida. The study addressed significant barriers to equitable access to AP courses, including…

For many open-enrolled higher education institutions, including community colleges, enrollment is dropping each semester creating significant financial challenges. While much research literature focuses on four-year colleges, little is known about the students who seek to enroll at community colleges. What is known is often evaluated using college…

This action research study aimed to explore the reasons for low course completion and retention rates for students who take developmental English courses at an open-enrollment private university in New England and develop support methods that address the reasons for these low rates. The problem of low course completion rates and retention rates…

Non-traditional students who are in their first year of college in online open-enrollment institutions have high drop-out rates. These students tend to benefit the most from student engagement. This qualitative study examined the success of a student-engagement based retention initiative known as the lab instructor model from the student…

Two-year state and community colleges provide convenient and affordable educational opportunities with open admissions policies, which make them "value-added institutions that are uniquely different than traditional colleges and universities" (Grubbs, 2020, p. 205). Students across the nation enroll in 2-year colleges to pursue their…

Retention is an important measure of success (Tinto, 1999); therefore, student success is an area of interest among professionals in the field of higher education (Hunter, 2006; Rendon, 1995). This qualitative study sought to understand how first-year students navigate the university and aimed to increase student success and support students to…

Advanced Placement courses and exams are seen as marks of distinction for high school students, but it remains unclear how participation in AP affects student performance at the post-secondary level -- a problematic situation given that "open enrollment" policies have vastly increased the numbers of students participating in AP. Data…