The college degree attainment divide between students from underserved backgrounds and their more privileged peers remains a critical issue in America despite the rising economic demand for a more educated workforce. Both K-12 school districts and higher education institutions have struggled to effectively serve first-generation college students…

Dual enrollment is an early college opportunity for high school students who are in an eligible high school class with a qualified high school instructor. Research has shown that participation in an early college program like dual enrollment increases college persistence and retention rates post high school. However, students from underrepresented…

This dissertation evaluates the effects of three development interventions on female education in Afghanistan: (1) effects of foreign military withdrawal on females' demand for higher education; (2) impacts of PEZAK, a community-driven university entrance preparation, on student enrollment and performance in tertiary education; and (3) long-term…

The Partnership was established in 2015 when the Arbor Glen School District, Brook Heights Community College, and Remarkable Outcomes rallied around their common priorities of increasing college matriculation rates in their community. The Partnership created programming that promotes the preparation and transition of students into postsecondary…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of Early College High School (ECHS) adjunct instructors teaching dual enrollment courses in a southern region school district. Through interviews with ten ECHS adjunct instructors, the researcher examined the factors contributing to their success, their professional…

The core issue addressed by this study is the problem of poor school identification among students, which leads to low attendance, poor graduation rates, and limited participation in college preparation activities. This qualitative single-case study aimed to explore the perceptions of college facilitators and parents regarding how mandated…

The recent push for college readiness meant to address inequities in college access and degree attainment created charter school reforms claiming to ensure students are college ready. Yet, despite reforms and a push for college readiness across the K-12 system, there has been little change in college degree completion. Research attempting to…

The Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) program at Temple University (TU) seeks to guide first-generation, low-income high school students from Philadelphia in their quest to obtain postsecondary STEM degrees that lead to related careers. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the program by analyzing its students' performance in light of…

Early College High Schools are a model that combines high school and college to accelerate postsecondary degree and credential attainment. This program model was also created to address equity gaps for underrepresented student populations in higher education. The early college high school model is designed to combine dual credit courses with…

Early college high schools (ECHS) were designed specifically to disrupt the inequities that are present in high schools by focusing on serving students underrepresented in higher education. ECHS students can earn 60 hours of college credit setting them on a fast track to college and degree completion. Utilizing Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural…

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…

Between 1820 and 1860, dozens of new denominational colleges opened throughout the United States. Nowhere was this growth as dramatic as in the Old Northwest in general and in Ohio specifically. Through the mid-twentieth century, most historians saw these colleges as steps backward in the development of higher education in the United States, with…

This qualitative portraiture examined Navajo Native Americans in the Southwest as an under-represented and resilient group in higher education. The scope of research focused on Navajo Native American students in higher education institutions utilizing cultural capitals and strengths to maneuver through four-year higher education institutions in…

In this qualitative case study, I examined the perspectives of first-generation and second-generation African American alumni of an early college high school in order to better understand the role of this model of education in their high school diploma attainment, accumulation of college credits, and aspirations to continue their post-secondary…

The U.S. economy receives consistent and increasing benefits from international students in higher education, an estimated $41 billion during the 2018-2019 academic year. However, the existing research literature has failed to determine whether Intensive English Language Programs (IELP) adequately prepare these students for college-level…