Credit hour policies, or performance-based financial aid policies, have become increasingly popular among policymakers seeking to improve degree completion rates. In the Unites States, the college completion agenda has been bolstered by national calls from intermediary organizations and philanthropic foundations alike to raise the overall rate and…

Objective: This study examines how accurately a small set of short-term academic indicators can approximate long-term outcomes of community college students so that decision-makers can take informed actions based on those indicators to evaluate the current progress of large-scale reform efforts on long-term outcomes, which in practice will not be…

This article reports on the findings of qualitative research which investigated appropriate means for measuring the efficacy of 3 + 1 transfer programs. In a 3 + 1 program, students complete 90 credits at the community college and are awarded a baccalaureate degree after completing their final 30 credits at a four-year college or university.…

The main purposes of this research are to describe the volume, features and trends characterizing block transfer and degree partnership pathways in the British Columbia (BC) Transfer System (BCTS); to determine existing business practices that may impact data on degree pathways; and to identify successful practices that may assist institutions in…

This project focuses on the student practice of "stepping out" to earn transfer credits at a second or additional ("host") institution, while continuing in a program at their first ("home") institution. It is based on data from a cohort of students who graduated in 2015/2016 from any of the 21 public institutions in…

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston is attempting a turnaround and has been for decades. In 2016, after having been designated a Level 4 school by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), a stamp that branded it "underperforming," school officials created a plan they began…

On March 21, 2019, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13864, "Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities" which, among other things, required the Secretary of Education to compile information about successful State and institutional efforts that promote students' timely and…

In the 21st century economic landscape, many argue the importance of a college degree, as entry into many occupations now requires advanced credentials. Pursuing a college degree costs time and money, often presenting barriers to those pursuing the dream. Prior learning assessment (PLA) offers a solution to spend less time and money earning a…

Many Virginians aspiring to earn a four-year degree intentionally begin their journey at one of the 23 community colleges within the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). In concert with those aspirations, the VCCS is committed to providing its residents an affordable and accessible program of study that prepares them to transfer and earn a…

Despite the long-standing centrality and growing prevalence of transfer in the American postsecondary system, students, college professionals, and policymakers decry the lack of credit transferability between colleges. However, limited research has examined the factors most related to the magnitude of credit loss students experience. This study…

This study addressed a gap in the literature on student financial aid and student outcomes by comparing relationships between for-profit and non-profit sectors to provide insight into the relative success of students in for-profit colleges. Specifically, this study used ordinary least squares regression to model the relationships between student…

This study explores the social and academic experiences of Latinas at the University of Kansas, with an aim at understanding how these experiences impact their progression to degree. Literature on progression to degree of Hispanic students has historically come from a deficit point of view, while this study is focused on student success. In…

The purpose of this descriptive quantitative research was to examine undergraduate music teacher education curricula in the context of professional identity formation and in comparison with teacher education curricula in other subjects. Comprehensive course listings for undergraduate degree programs in music teacher education, mathematics teacher…

Many students enter higher education with poor preparation for college mathematics courses. These students are often placed through high-stakes placement testing into developmental coursework that bear no credit towards graduation, but many students who begin in developmental coursework never succeed in a college-level mathematics course. Recent…

Dual enrollment allows high school students to take college courses and earn college credits that can provide a valuable head start toward a college degree. The practice has multiple benefits for students in both systems, improving college preparation and increasing efficiency toward completion of degrees and certificates. Many states--including…