The transition from high school to college is both scary and unfamiliar to each year's new participants. For high school students attending school in underserved communities, this transition can be lonely and often inaccessible. To combat this, nonprofits and other community organizations provide additional support services to students during this…

A significant percentage of youth are not pursuing any form of post-secondary education (PSE). Using a mixed-method approach, I sought to understand what barriers youth experienced to access PSE. My research confirmed that barriers to access PSE for youth from family income groups of less than $80,000, identified in early research by Corak (2013),…

This phenomenological study examined the impact of school counselor relationships on the college application process for Black or Hispanic students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Each of the six participants in this study met the criteria as a student who qualified for "free-lunch" status during high school. This status indicates…

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…

This qualitative case study identifies the systemic and explicit barriers that impede the progression from high school to college for first-generation college students (FGCS) at a Small Catholic Secondary School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Evidence indicates that FGCS experience more barriers in progressing from high school to college than their non-FGCS…

College preparation resources to support academic and college success have the potential to decrease challenges students often face when preparing for college. TRIO programs, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, were introduced in the 1960s as part of the fight on the war on poverty to make the college experience more accessible to low…

Too many students with disabilities leave secondary school without being connected to an agency. This is especially true for those students with more severe disabilities that require a modified curriculum. Students with disabilities learning in a modified curriculum often need more support during school and usually will need the same or more…