This manuscript presents a study that was undertaken at three community college sites. The study was designed to build upon a prior study (Armstrong, Stahl, & Kantner, 2015a, 2015b, 2016) that aimed to answer the following general query: "What constitutes college-level text-readiness?" In the present study, that question was directly…

Although the importance of critical thinking skills for students when they enter university is widely endorsed, previous research has shown that incoming students show great variation in levels of critical thinking skills. The pre-university track of secondary education plays a major role in preparing students to think critically at university.…

Many Extension precollege programs seek to increase young people's interest in and aspirations toward college by fostering the development of skills that support a successful college transition. By pairing existing data with participant enrollment records, Extension professionals can more easily capture the impact of precollege programs on college…

Inclusive education is seen as promising way to accommodate students with disabilities in accessing higher education; yet, the implementation leaves challenges for the students with disabilities and also the faculties. Regarding the secondary education curriculum that is not preparing students with disabilities to attend higher education, students…

School psychologists serve a critical role directly and indirectly in postsecondary transition of adolescents with disabilities, given their expertise and skills in special education and interventions. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Domains of Practice (2010) provide guidelines for school psychologists' service delivery,…

Many high schools struggle with developing an efficient system to effectively deliver college and career readiness (CCR) instruction and experiences to all students. The implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in high schools offers an opportunity to consider how the PBIS framework can support CCR for all students.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of faculty members who teach courses to high school dual enrollment students. Existing literature on dual enrollment focuses mainly on academic achievement and grade point averages; few studies explore the lived experiences of those who participate in dual enrollment. Although there is…

This study discusses the dilemma facing low-income and first-generation potential college students, and how the College Reach-Out Program (CROP) can help. The problem to be addressed in this study was how low-income and first-generation potential college students perceived their lived experiences in CROP on their college readiness, academically,…

Soft skills, such as communication, critical thinking, and conflict resolution have often been on the back burner of education reform. Common Core standards were introduced as a method of bridging the gap between academic skills and soft skills through fostering creativity and collaboration. It has been shown that soft skills are not necessarily…

With increased pressure for schools to demonstrate college and career readiness, it is crucial to explore the roles and activities of school counselors, the preservice training they receive, and how those college and career readiness concepts are integrated into their roles. The research questions were (1) What are the current roles and activities…

In this study, we sought to understand the contexts, experiences, and needs among a sample of U.S. secondary education stakeholders to inform both a theoretical framework and policy contexts underpinning college and career readiness (CCR). Results confirmed a theoretically constructed framework of academic and non-academic CCR skills, with…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine African American college students' perspectives on the factors that promoted and inhibited their college readiness. This study also examined African American college students' perceptions of how their high school counselors, teachers, and administrators influenced their college readiness. This…

Gateway courses are foundational, college-level courses that apply to a student's program of study or to a college's general education requirements. These courses are typically considered first-year or lower-division courses and serve as a basis for more advanced studies. Research has demonstrated that completing gateway courses in two key…

We examined the relationships between high school CTE participation and indicators of career and college readiness using 2009 High School Longitudinal Study restricted-use data. Regression analyses of 2009-2018 data revealed significantly lower dropout rates for CTE participants, but only White CTE participants experienced better employment…

In this dissertation, I present an examination of the economics of education through three chapters. In the first paper, I study the overrepresentation of elite university graduates in senior positions in public administration. Using rich administrative data from Chile, I employ a stacked fuzzy regression discontinuity design to estimate the…