At a community college in the state of Florida, student retention has become a critical concern because more than half of the first-year first-generation students fail to graduate. That rate is four times higher than for other first-year students. Guided by Tinto's Student Integration Model as the conceptual framework, this intrinsic qualitative…

Dating back to 1998, researchers established that adults learn differently than younger, recent high school graduates. Even with decades of research on the topic, approximately 39 million American adults have attended college but left school without obtaining a degree. The research questions addressed the purpose of this qualitative exploratory…

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to explore the strategies needed to increase student retention rates and decrease dropout rates in a higher education organization. The problem addressed in the study was the lack of strategies that managers use to increase retention rates and decrease dropout rates in a higher education…

Urban community colleges serve as an agent of democracy, provide open access, and a variety of affordable program options, which attracts a rising number of African American single mothers. The attempt to manage the tremendous responsibility of child rearing single handedly, while in college, increases the dropout rate and is a known factor that…

Nationally, and within Montana, Native American college student retention and graduation rates are significantly lower than those of their majority counterparts. Native American high school students have the highest dropout rates, lowest college enrollment rates, and lowest percentage distribution of degrees conferred of any minority population in…

Research demonstrates that the vocational education sector continues to experience an exceptionally high dropout rate, suggesting the need to further understand why students fail to complete their education. However, it was not known what or how the three key factors of admissions practices, staff leadership skills, and accreditation standards…

Retention and student graduation rates are a major concern for community colleges nationwide. As student dropout rates continue to climb and graduation figures languish, many studies have been conducted to investigate the causes of student attrition. Numerous reports have found faculty advising to be a contributing factor in student retention,…

Study abroad has been a part of the curricular and co-curricular programming of higher education since 1875. Yet, despite the long history, a literature search revealed that study abroad is the least examined of the high impact practices (HIPs) related to engagement theory. Further, despite its promise as a retention strategy, study abroad has…

The educational system in the United States continues to pose many challenges for law and policy makers. Many of these challenges can be traced back to two landmark cases, "Plessy vs. Ferguson" and "Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka." And, while the U.S. Department of Education developed programs to address many of these…

High student attrition rates for first-year university students affect the financial and long-term sustainability of institutions. Previous researchers failed to provide workable solutions to improving student retention. This study was an exploration of students' and administrators' perceptions of business services and their potential impact on…

In 2012, funding for many colleges and universities was determined by the graduation rate at the institutions. The problem that was addressed was a business question that many community college officials must solve as low student success rates measured by retention and student grade point average lead to higher dropout rates. The purpose of this…

Regardless of the relentless efforts of the federal and state government, as well as those of local school districts, students not completing high school continue to weigh down the educational system and society as a whole. Schools face the challenge of transforming the inclination for students to drop out of school with the associated damaging…

First-generation female students in community colleges are dropping out and withdrawing from college at an alarming rate. There are women who are administrators and leaders in these institutions who were once first-generation college students. The research gleaned first-hand experiences from participants who were first-generation females. These…

The transition to high school and the freshman year experience is challenging for most students. This study examined the issues that are often problematic and can prevent many early adolescent learners from thriving during their first year of high school. The literature review focuses on three strands salient to this study: early adolescent…

What keeps students engaged in high school? Persisting to high school graduation is becoming more difficult for many students with the increased rigor of American high school graduation requirements. While many factors that contribute to students not completing high school have been explored, and while many interventions have been developed to…