Virtually all community colleges and more than 90 percent of public four-year colleges use the results of placement tests--either alone or in concert with other information--to determine whether students are ready for college-level coursework or need remedial help in math or English. Evidence suggests that placement tests do a poor job of…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the buffering effect of subjective well-being (SWB) between community college students' levels of daily life hassles (DLH) and their grade point average (GPA) during the fall semester. The problem addressed looked at DLH having an effect on academics such as lowering GPAs, data…

In order for a student to be successful in dental hygiene education, the student must gain the required knowledge and skills necessary to perform as a hygienist and possess the ability to utilize critical thinking to apply these attributes while in the program and on the National Board of Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) (Alzahrani, Thompson,…

Honors students are increasingly choosing the community college as a viable alternative to beginning at a four-year college or university, especially given the United States is still emerging from a great recession and student debt is increasing. These high achieving honors students are also expecting an excellent return on their investment in…

Two-generation (2Gen) programs and policies create opportunities that allow adults and the children in their lives to build on each other's successes. Ensuring that both parents and children have access to affordable, high-quality educational opportunities, for example, is a core component of a 2Gen approach. Investments in the postsecondary…

Stakeholders on Guåhan (Guam) are concerned that many Guåhan public high school graduates may be underprepared for college. In 2018 more than 50 percent of students entering Unibetsedåt Guåhan (University of Guam) and Kulehon Kumunidåt Guåhan (Guam Community College) were placed into developmental math or English courses.1 This study examined…

Many community colleges consider non-academic supports as a way to improve student retention and achievement. Past studies on the effects of coaching, mentoring, advising, and other non-academic supports yielded evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions to promote student outcomes. In addition, some suggested that the effects were…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between selected demographic and academic factors, on the one hand, and the persistence rate and academic achievement of community college students, on the other, as well as to examine the predictability of this persistence rate and academic achievement using these selected demographic and…

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between financial aid awards and measures of student academic achievement. Financial aid and academic records for 11,956 students attending an urban California community college were examined and analyzed using simultaneous linear regression and two-way factorial ANOVAs. Findings revealed a…

This paper looks at degree completion and wages of immigrants to understand the extent to which a student's chosen educational pathway limits his or her social mobility. Statistical modeling established the predictive strengths of key variables on educational pathway and statistical analysis is used to understand the relationship between…

In an effort to better understand how students' length of exposure to American secondary schools relates to academic performance in core, first-year college courses, this study surveyed and analyzed the demography, study habits, and grades of 267 freshman composition (ENG 101) students at a large, urban community college. Results indicated that…

We aimed to compare the findings of three research designs to bracket effect estimates of a strongly worded warning letter delivered by certified mail to students on academic probation. We embedded an experiment within a regression discontinuity design and calculated two achievement estimates, average GPA and percentage of students remaining on…

Born on the eve of the Civil War, community colleges were designed to provide access to higher education for the masses. Community colleges, also referred to as "the people's college," were a radical departure from the traditional institutions of higher education. One significant difference, compared to other institutions of higher…

This Study Snapshot highlights key findings from a study that examines Oregon's statewide promise program. Representatives from Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission and K-12 state and local education agencies worked with the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest to conduct this study of Oregon Promise's reach and impact in its…

The "What Were the Reach and Impact of the Oregon Promise Financial Aid Program in Its First Two Years?" study examined Oregon Promise, a program that promotes students' postsecondary attainment by covering nearly all community college tuition. The study used student data from K-12 public schools, Oregon Promise applications, and…