This quantitative study examined non-TRIO participating first-generation college students' graduation rates and the impact of academic and social integration in one community college setting. This study used archival data to analyze tutoring, purchasing a meal plan, and living in campus housing. The study used Tinto's (1993) Model of Student…

Performance-based funding policies for postsecondary institutions have been enacted throughout the United States as an answer to reductions in public funding and increased accountability mandates. Institutional effectiveness, as demonstrated through metrics such as graduation and retention rates, dictates the level of funding received. Educational…

As demand for college graduates grows (Times Higher Education, 2023) persistence rates for first-generation students continue to lag (Toutkoushain et al., 2018, 2021). Complicating our understanding of this opportunity gap is the diversity of how first-generation student status is defined (Jo Peralta & Klonowski, 2017). We argue that while…

American-Indian and Alaska Native students attending Midwestern Regional University (MRU) are experiencing graduation rates lower than the national average. This dissertation in practice attempts to solve this real-world problem by providing a voice for the indigenous students at MRU so that services and policies can be adjusted to increase the…

With the continual decline of high school graduation rates in South Carolina, there is a need for high schools to look at alternative pathways to graduation. Many of the current alternatives offered to students remove them from the high school setting or interactions with the student body. This study focused on an alternative pathway to…

Youth and young adults experiencing homelessness face many challenges while pursuing postsecondary credentials. Low education attainment is occurring in higher education institutions across the county, with more than a quarter of first-year college students not returning for their second year in community college. This National Center for Homeless…