Helping students transition from high school to college typically involves creating online transition programs in high school, which could lead to higher retention rates in college. The course developers that create online transition programs for high school-aged students understand that online learning methods are an excellent way to reach more…

Nearly two thirds of students are not ready for college level work in mathematics as evidenced by the inability to succeed on standardized math placement tests. Unfortunately, this necessitates developmental coursework, which is not credit bearing, and ultimately makes these students significantly less likely to earn a college degree. This study…

Social and emotional competence (SEC) is critical in determining college preparedness and student outcomes. College students need more than just academic knowledge to succeed. SEC encompasses a range of skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These skills are…

The recent push for college readiness meant to address inequities in college access and degree attainment created charter school reforms claiming to ensure students are college ready. Yet, despite reforms and a push for college readiness across the K-12 system, there has been little change in college degree completion. Research attempting to…

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…

While Perkins V legislation and newer career and technical education programs were designed to prepare students for success in both college and career pathways and modern career and technical education programs are supposed to expand college and career readiness outcomes for students, there is a lack of research examining supports that promote the…

Constructs like socioeconomic status (SES), college readiness, and self-efficacy have been studied primarily in context of their relationship to student academic performance outcomes. This study recognizes the gap in the literature of research focus on the influence such factors can have on test takers of standardized admissions tests. The public…

Poor college readiness is a persistent challenge today in the United States that may be overcome in part with the help of a learning model from the past. The purpose and of this quantitative comparative study focused on determining if a statistically significant difference existed in the 2018 SAT Total, Mathematics and Evidenced-Based Reading and…

College access programs provide middle and high school students with essential skills to prepare them for a successful transition to postsecondary education. TRIO Talent Search (TS)and Upward Bound (UB) are federally funded programs established to strengthen the likelihood that students from underserved groups will graduate high school and pursue…

Only 11% of students who are Pell-eligible and the first in their family to attend college graduate with a bachelor's degree. Upward Bound is a federal-funded project that seeks to: (1) improve the motivation and skills of disadvantaged students; and (2) increase students' likelihood of success at two- and four-year institutions. The study sought…

This qualitative research study was designed to examine potential differences in the transition to college for rural and non-rural first-generation college students. In addition, the study also aimed to examine how students' other identities (including ethnic and socioeconomic identities) may have impacted their transition to college. Participants…

In post-secondary education, degree attainment for first-generation college students (FGCS) is essential. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study is to explore the first-generation college student's persistence from their first year to the second year at a private or public post-secondary institution. The second purpose is…

This intrinsic case study investigated the experiences of select low-income and first-generation students who participated in the Upward Bound program throughout high school to understand how participation influenced enrollment at a postsecondary institution. Two theoretical frameworks guided this research study: Astin's (1984) I-E-O model and…

The 1960s launched the school movement of choice. Today, school choice is nationally threaded through many states serving a diversity of students. Indiana developed and implemented the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program (ICSP) policy in 2011 to align with these national initiatives to benefit students. The goal for Indiana was to ease the burden…

There is a lack of information to allow researchers to fully understand the experience students from lower-income families have regarding college and career readiness received through interactions with their school counselors. College and career readiness education is implemented by school counselors for students participating in K-12 education.…