Placement into preparatory courses presents a significant challenge related to access and equity in higher education; it connects to conversations around college readiness, particularly in geographical areas that have been underserved, or which have larger minority populations and underprepared students. At the same time, the research points to…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceivedinfluence of early college programs offered to high school students across Texasregarding motivation to be successful in college. Semi-structured interviews with 10student participants were conducted using protocol based on three research questions: (1)What experiences in early…

Higher education administrators are well versed with the learning loss and disruption issues surrounding the COVID-19 lockdown. Students entering college now may not be prepared for the rigors of higher education coursework. This study was conducted to examine the perception of academic preparedness and success of first-year college students who…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "College Readiness and Success." Contents include: (1) Texas School Counselors…

The academic achievement of Hispanic students is not increasing as much as the population is in schools across the United States. Although existing research explores the Hispanic achievement gap, none solely compares the relationship between Hispanic multilingual (ML) and Hispanic non-multilingual (non-ML) students. As the Hispanic population…

This study sought to understand the skills and qualities a student needs to be successful in a music education career from a high school choral teacher's perspective. Pre-service music teachers must be prepared to teach and organize a music classroom in any K-12 setting when graduating college with a music education degree (Franzblau, 2013).…

Fine arts high schools are schools that form the basis for vocational music education given in higher education institutions. These schools form the basis for higher institutions; therefore, it is of great importance that the contents of their curriculum be of a quality that will prepare them for higher education institutions. Based on this…

Students coming into college lack the basic non-cognitive skills necessary for success in higher education. As a result, many students struggle in their early courses. Most college admissions focus on cognitive measures such as high school grade point averages (GPA) and high-stakes exams; however, these factors alone are not the sole predictors of…

Many districts across Texas have adopted programs built on the goal of providing more opportunities within their repertoire for servicing traditionally underserved students (AVID, 2023). Friou (2016) reported that 62 districts across Texas have utilized the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, which aimed to bridge the gap in…

Between 1890 to 1910, African American physicians outnumbered Whites by three to one. In 1910, the Carnegie Foundation published Abraham Flexner's Report to standardize medical educational settings in the U.S. and Canada. Flexner's Report recommended reducing the number of poorly trained physicians and inferior medical schools by implementing…

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to investigate to what extent there is a difference in the mean scores of the WIN R2W test scores (applied mathematics, locating information, reading for information, and essential soft skills) between those who completed and did not complete a CTE program. Parsons' trait factor theory…

Many students lack the comprehension skills required to navigate high school and the world (Turner, 2019). This qualitative narrative analysis study examined how the background of Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators' shaped their educational experiences when embedding literacy in the CTE curriculum. The researcher interviewed ten CTE…

Two-year colleges provide access and opportunity for students with various academic backgrounds to pursue a post-secondary education. While two-year colleges take pride in admitting any student with a high school diploma or equivalent, in recent years colleges have been under scrutiny for low completion and graduation rates. Particular attention…

Too few students are graduating from high school college and career-ready. For this dissertation, a qualitative design that included a data analysis was implemented to review a dual enrollment program and the impact of implementing various change ideas to increase enrollment of students in the program. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase…

The charter school movement encompasses many school models. In Massachusetts in the 2010's, the site of our study, urban charter schools primarily used "No Excuses" practices, whereas nonurban charters had greater model variety. Using randomized admissions lotteries, we estimate the impact of charter schools by locality on college…