Community colleges play a vital role in providing access to higher educational opportunities for their communities. College completion rates for community colleges, however, have been historically low and few students graduate within a two-year timeframe. Disaggregating these data also reveals significant equity gaps in these outcomes for many…

A growing number of colleges and universities have come to recognize the role and responsibilities they have in the economic and social fabric of their surrounding communities and regions as anchor institutions. Yet, the conditions of urban communities surrounding even the most engaged universities--including under-resourced public schools,…

The multifaceted influences of coloniality in higher education continue to be explored to reshape and transform spaces that can either reproduce structures of coloniality or bring about decoloniality. The University of Puerto Rico was founded in 1903 within 5 years of the end of the Spanish-American War, as a product of the law Morrill-Hatch. The…

Most Latinx students who begin their academic journey begin at community colleges. Yet, the cost of college is a significant barrier for Latinx students in completing a degree. The purpose of this study was to explore the intentionality of financial support for Latinx student at an Emerging HSI California community college as it becomes HSI.…

The systemic restructuring of community colleges to better align students on pathways to success (guided pathways) is on the rise. Institutions are transforming their practices and systems on a broad scale to enable students to better succeed. However, many of these initiatives are difficult to implement simultaneously and require planning,…

California community college data shows that most community college students will never earn a degree (The Community College Research Center, 2018) or take a long time to do so (Horn & Skomsvold, 2002; Jenkins et al., 2017). Low success holds significant impact for students of color since California community colleges serve 72% of all Latine…

Although the Belmont Report and associated federal regulations were written to protect individual research participants from undue risk and harm, Community-Based Participatory Research teams are concerned about insufficient protection of ethical concerns on a community level. This multi-case study examines the process institutional actors at two…

Community colleges offer access to higher education for many who otherwise would not be able to attend college, including academically underprepared students, students from low-income backgrounds, and place-bound adults. Recently, some community colleges have diverged from this historical mission and embraced "mission expansion."…

This dissertation investigates the implementation of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs in Illinois community colleges, focusing on Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) faculty perceptions. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study first conducted a survey among full-time ADN faculty across Illinois community…

The Red Clay Consolidated School District (RCCSD) grapples with sustainable transformation within historically low-performing schools, evident through recurrent identification by the Delaware Department of Education. This research utilized a quantitative research methodology, where descriptive statistics analyzed the research survey data collected…

In response to a rapidly changing educational system and public discourse pushing for school choice and accountability, the City of Chicago announced sweeping changes to its educational system. Renaissance 2010 called for a restructuring of schools and the creation of a new school, effectively dismantling the longstanding traditions which position…

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how leaders at two community colleges that participated in Guided Pathways used early momentum metrics (EMMs) to change institutional policies or practices to improve student success and degree completion rates. By focusing on EMMs as short-term indicators, leaders could track…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) students have unique needs when attending American community colleges. The purpose of this dissertation is to identify current policies and practices of community colleges when working with transgender students, explore best practices when it comes to serving…

School reform has been a topic of discussion for many years. As a result, policy makers have sought to remedy the problems plaguing America's school systems by creating high stakes accountability and testing systems. Recognizing the fact that many factors influence student achievement and the associated gap, creations and reauthorizations of these…

K-12-unit school structures are unique in grade band structure and in community involvement. Often found in rural settings, K-12-unit schools are steeped in tradition and community. They are typically smaller schools with under 1500 students enrolled. K-unit-schools exhibit characteristics of an open system wherein they are impacted by both those…