Volunteer participation benefits societies and individuals. The objective of this study was to examine the roles of education and adult literacy in formal volunteering among a nationally representative sample of the U.S. middle-aged and older adults (45-74 years) by race and ethnicity (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics). Using cross-sectional data (n =…

This project creates the first educational pipeline for the state of Texas. It incorporates middle school as a key transition point, differentiates between advanced degree achievement among Latinas/os and Chicanas/os, and fashions a secondary pipeline with a narrower age range. Findings indicate that the move from eighth grade to ninth is a…

Research on college completion for students who work during their undergraduate education often approaches the topic from a financial perspective focused on aid and income status. This study takes a different approach by exploring the intersectionality of student employment and race, in relation to six-year bachelor's degree attainment. Based on a…

Introduction: Prior to 1980, U.S. national demographic and health data collection did not identify individuals of Hispanic/Latina/o heritage as a population group. Post-1990, robust immigration from Latin America (e.g., South America, Central America, Mexico) and subsequent growth in U.S. births, dynamically reconstructed the ethnoracial lines…

Latino student college enrollment had been growing at an accelerated pace for more than 20 years, but in 2020 dropped significantly despite previous projections of continued growth. While Latino student enrollment is projected to grow later in this decade, this growth is not at the accelerated pace seen in the years prior to the pandemic. In this…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between race/ethnicity and the college degree attainment of underrepresented racial minority (URM) students receiving a merit-aid scholarship. Using an institutional database from a highly selective public university, multiple statistical techniques were conducted to examine how degree…

This study examined the perceived educational barriers and academic and college-going self-efficacy beliefs of a diverse population of high school students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between learning program and student self-efficacy (both academic and college-going), while also exploring the presence…

Purpose: The overall purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to ascertain the extent to which progress occurred during the State of Texas' "Closing the Gaps by 2015" and the "60x30TX" education initiatives. In particular, the purpose of this dissertation was to determine the degree to which changes were present in the…

In 1776, Adam Smith wrote, "the expense of the institutions for education… is… beneficial to the whole society, and may, therefore, without injustice, be defrayed by the general contribution of the whole society," in the "Wealth of Nations." Since then, economists and policymakers have argued that the social returns to higher…

We examine how increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities impacted newborn health and prenatal care utilization in North Carolina around the time Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act was first being implemented within the state. Focusing on administrative data between 2004 and 2006, we conduct…

Concerned with how numbers are misused and distorted in research and public discourse at the expense of People of Color, this article attempts to answer the following: "How do we use numbers to tell the stories of Communities of Color?" We offer a QuantCrit counterstory to share our journey of (re)imagining quantitative methods to center…

This report provides state-level projections of postsecondary enrollment, credential production, and the college-educated population in order to inform the Illinois P-20 Council's strategy for creating and meeting attainment equity goals. [This report was created with the Illinois P-20 Council, College & Career Readiness Committee.]

This chartbook is the 14th version to be produced for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB). The Chartbook describes the diversity of the Appalachian Region on a host of demographic and economic measures and provides an important annual view of the area and its people. The data contained in the…

This three-study dissertation investigated how socioeconomic factors and policies are associated with educational outcomes for undocumented youth and, in one of the papers, to what extent education and employment outcomes intersect. Guided by the specific questions of each study, the three papers take different theoretical and methodological…

Students in any grade level vary widely in their mathematics achievement, with the typical classroom including four to seven grade levels of mathematics proficiency. Due to this large range of mathematics learning needs, some schools offer certain courses in earlier grades than is typical. In this study, we analyzed multiple, large, national…