Linked Learning is a college and career readiness reform designed to engage students in a rigorous curriculum to prepare for all post-secondary options. School districts nationwide have implemented Linked Learning in high schools with various levels of fidelity to the Linked Learning model. Schools that have achieved Linked Learning certification…

Linked Learning is a school reform model for K-12 education, primarily high school, designed to make school engaging through real-world, hands-on learning that integrates college and career preparation. Linked Learning is an equity-focused approach with a focus on the achievement of underrepresented groups such as African Americans, Latinos,…

There is a dearth of career intervention literature pertaining to underprepared community college students. This student population has insufficient college coursework preparation (CCCSE, 2016), and often exhibits low career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE), which hampers career decision making ability, career goal setting (Hughes &…

The purpose of this study was to determine how school principals in the Cumberland region of Tennessee use online courses as a part of a curriculum program to help make students ready for postsecondary pursuits. The problem investigated was whether the use of online courses is meeting the college and career readiness standards in this region. The…

This quantitative study examined factors that determined if economically disadvantaged and English language learner students graduating from traditional or early college high school were college and career ready. Effective data was collected from campuses in the Region One educational service center in South Texas. The study was guided by the…

Chinese parents are increasingly embracing college as a means to a better future for their children. Private independent institutions are prevalent throughout the country, yet there is continued apprehension about the type of education that is offered at independent universities. This qualitative narrative study reveals the life stories and…

In an effort to better prepare K-12 students for college and career readiness, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) has created a college and career readiness system that is implemented in schools across the United States and in many international locations. Part of this system of schoolwide transformation, is the AVID Elective class,…

In this mixed method study I evaluated the relationship between teachers' perceptions of text complexity and data of text complexity assessed by standard and non-standard measures in the disciplines of English Language Arts (ELA), science, and social studies. For the quantitative portion of this study, I evaluated and correlated the text…

The face and make-up of education has experienced an almost constant state of reformation resulting in progressive benchmarks from each transition: the establishment of national education goals (Vinovskis, 2009); increased federal policy on education and accountability (DeBray, 2006); "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) legislation (Rebell…

This study explores the relationship between school affluence and ethnicity/gender on the outcomes of African-American female high school students enrolled in a concentrated technology program at a large, urban public school district. A quantitative correlational research design was utilized. Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine…

Linked Learning is an approach that has proven effective in transforming the learning experiences for high school students. An instrumental case study was conducted in a large urban district in Southern California where district and school leaders implemented Linked Learning as a systemic high school reform initiative. Analysis of the data…

This dissertation investigates how low-resource high schools support (or not) high achieving, low-income students depending on how they enact college readiness agendas. My study was motivated by the lack of empirical research in two areas--how college readiness policies are being actualized for high achieving, low-income students and how these…

The willingness to work and a high school diploma were once all that was needed to start one's career. The problem is that on the twentieth anniversary of the reports by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), high school graduates may still lack what business and education leaders require for success in entry-level…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative is the latest effort by educational leaders to improve educational outcomes of American students. The standards are intended to bring uniformity in educational content of what is being taught in schools across the nation in order to promote rigor and academic portability. Proponents claimed the new…

This research study examines how Illinois public high school Career and Technical Education educational leaders employ best practices in providing all students rigorous, relevant, and equitable learning experiences within a professional learning community structure. This study utilized a mixed method two-tier case study methodology. Tier one…