Though the students at Appoquinimink High School (AHS) earned the fifth highest scores on DCAS Reading (among traditional public high schools), I was skeptical regarding whether these results accurately represented our students' literacy proficiency. My classroom interactions suggested that students lacked motivation toward literacy. Specifically,…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative is the latest effort by educational leaders to improve educational outcomes of American students. The standards are intended to bring uniformity in educational content of what is being taught in schools across the nation in order to promote rigor and academic portability. Proponents claimed the new…

The purpose of this narrative study is to understand the educational experiences of academically resilient, first-generation students from low-income backgrounds who demonstrate first-year success in college. Through a framework based on academic resilience, this study aims to provide a strengths-based exploration of the contributing factors that…

Critical race theory applies to all ethnic groups and creates a social hierarchy. Asian Americans are an extremely diverse group of the American population comprising over 40 various sub groups. The Vietnamese American sub group population, which has grown in numbers since the 1970s, has still been met with the stereotype of the "model…

This study examined the experiences of six college participants who entered college with many risk-factors for drop-out, but who persisted to graduation. The present research was conducted at a private, liberal arts university. All participants possessed multiple risk factors for drop-out including low high school academic performance,…

Many community colleges consider online learning central to the mission of providing adults with access to academic, professional, and personal enrichment opportunities; however, the issue of student success in the online learning environment remains an area of concern. The low rate of online course completion in community colleges may be…

This interpretive study examined the curriculum implemented in a developmental reading course at a community college. Approaching curriculum as a three layered construct, (Cohen, 1990; Hartell, 2012; Mendez, 2010; Page, 1991; Page, 1999), I described classroom lessons to understand how the formal curriculum was translated by students and teachers.…

This study investigated the lived experiences of students in one Early College High School (ECHS) in southeast Texas. A qualitative narrative inquiry was implemented and data were collected through individual interviews. Eight students participated in the narratives. Study findings suggested ECHS students may not always have a clear understanding…

Globalization of the world economy has confirmed the need for citizens to exemplify competitive capacities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Since the 1970s, American higher education has seen increasing numbers of students entering college but has witnessed a decline in the number of students enrolling in STEM programs.…

This dissertation analyzes how mandated high-stakes tests and college and career ready standards influence local curricula and the reproduction of inequalities between students. I found that inequalities were reproduced based on distinctions between students in co-taught courses (classes that required the presence of an aide to assist students…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the number of college credits earned in Technical College Preparation (Tech Prep) and Dual Credit (College Now) programs as a predictor of continued success after high school, as measured by first-year college GPA at a Midwest Community College. This study looked at how the…

This study examines the extent to which high school students from an affluent, college preparatory high school were able to transfer their knowledge about reading and writing from high school to college. The participants' perceptions of the transition from high school reading and writing to college reading and writing revealed that they did not…

This study sought to explore what factors contribute to transfer student success and attempted to create a model using logistic regression to help predict likeliness of transfer student success. Using a sample that included all students who transferred to Colorado State University from a regionally accredited US institution between fall 2007 and…

The willingness to work and a high school diploma were once all that was needed to start one's career. The problem is that on the twentieth anniversary of the reports by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), high school graduates may still lack what business and education leaders require for success in entry-level…

Teachers in any school community must confront immense contextual pressures: developing parent and community relationships, implementing curriculum and content, preparing students for state assessment examinations, along with navigating the professional relationships that exist within the school community. These pressures are amplified in the case…