This study addresses the critical issue of low-income student success at Tri-County Community College (TCCC), with a specific focus on reducing the financial barriers posed by commercial textbooks. Recognizing the disproportionate impact of these costs on low-income students, the study implements an improvement initiative leveraging Open…

Although the traditional 16-week schedule is widely used in higher education, time-compressed courses are increasingly being recognized as an approach to improve student success rates and expedite credential completion, thereby facilitating entry into the workforce. However, there is limited research to establish that the reported advantages of…

Title III Strengthening Institutions Program is a supplemental grant that was designed to help eligible higher education institutions improve and strengthen academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of eligible institutions. A community college in the Midsouth region was the focus of this quantitative study. Graduation and…

This qualitative multi-case study explored the experiences of nine women serving as presidents of community and technical colleges in seven different Midwestern states to understand how they serve students with an increasingly diverse background and ultimately work to close the education opportunity gap. The data collection process consisted of…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of community college faculty and the impact of those perceptions on the academic success of African American and Hispanic students. Within the context of the achievement gap, finding out how colleges can better serve disadvantaged students supported the aims of this study. This…

Nationally, community colleges continue to have lower retention, completion, and transfer rates for African American students (National Student Clearinghouse, 2019). Specifically, 55% of African American students who enroll in postsecondary education at twoyear colleges leave without earning a credential in 6 years. Teaching and learning must be a…

Advocates for marginalized students have worked to understand the equity implications of public policy and its application on educational performance gaps. This study investigated equity policies in a southern California community college intervention program: the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). EOPS is an equity program created…

The purpose of this study was to examine the dispositions of Sierra Leone's higher education stakeholders toward using a community college system as an alternative model for expanding postsecondary accessibility in Sierra Leone. The study was prompted by a high number of students failing to gain admissions into universities in Sierra Leone every…

A concerning reality in higher education is the persistent disparity in retention and graduation rates between students of color and White students. These persistent outcome differences are commonly referred to as opportunity or achievement gaps. To address these gaps, higher education institutions are enacting targeted approaches to mitigate or…

Former foster youth are one of the lowest-performing groups at the college level, despite existing support programs at colleges. Former foster youth often age out of the foster care system only to be faced with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and a lack of social capital providing support. Former foster youth student-single parents may face…

This action study investigated the experiences of current female students, recent female graduates, and female dropouts of a rural community college in Appalachian Ohio to determine what factors led to successful college completion. Although female enrollment exceeds male enrollment, females currently and consistently rank below their male…

Earning a bachelor's degree or work certificate can close social equity gaps and increase social mobility and economic stability in American society. Barriers exist to upward mobility for underrepresented groups (first-generation, low socioeconomic, African American, and Hispanic). Underrepresented students are falling below their peers in…

Higher education institutes experience lower success rates in online learning environments compared to traditional learning. Students' engagement within the learning management system (LMS) is one of the main factors affecting students' academic performance and retention. This quantitative correlational-predictive study examined if, and to what…

This critical constructivist study was grounded in the belief that there is an urgent need to address attainment gaps between White students and students of color at community colleges, that equity-minded leadership is needed to address these gaps, and that the call for transformative leadership must be answered not solely by leaders with…

While there is an increase in racial and ethnic diversity on college campuses, the rate of degree completion remains uneven and disproportionate to the population (Aud et al., 2012; Williams, 2013). For Black and Latinx students at both two- and four-year institutions, degree completion issues remain persistent and have widened over time (Taylor…