In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced educational systems to transition into an emergency remote learning modality. This quantitative study compared retention and productive grade rates of two 16-week academic semesters and compared face-to-face (fall 2019) and remote (fall 2020) emergency remote instruction. The study sample was drawn from…

This study intended to examine factors potentially contributing to teacher retention and attrition at the local (district) level and the costs associated with this teacher movement. A secondary data set from a large urban school district in the southern United States served as the unit of analysis for this study. Demographic data on 25,724…

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global event that disrupted higher education learning environments in unique ways. This study explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate students' academic progress in higher education at Saint Louis University. The outcomes of interest were four-year cumulative grade point average…

This quantitative causal-comparative study examined the impact of formal leadership training programs on educators possessing an administrator license within the public school systems of Tennessee. The investigation explored potential associations between program participation and elevated self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and retention rates. Data…

The challenge of increasing the number of minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) degrees is a systemic problem. In the case of higher education, one of the main challenges also includes the retention of academically prepared minority students who are underrepresented in STEM degree programs. President Barack Obama…

Understanding undergraduate student success is central to addressing issues in the current education climate. Many barriers exist for students; however, even more barriers exist for first-generation college students. Especially difficult for first-generation college students is access to social capital with regards to higher education. The current…

With the need to increase STEM graduates, it is necessary that all institutions of higher education determine ways to increase the retention of these students to increase underrepresented STEM student retention rates. Cypress Community College in Southern California implemented a program called STEM[superscript 2] (Strengthen Transfer Education…

Students who enter community colleges in need of developmental education are often at high risk of failure due to identities or perceptions of self, that do not conform to college expectations that can be problematized by age, gender, and ethnicity. Additionally, students' efficacy for using technology may affect completion rates which was…

Equitable access to advanced science coursework paired with highly qualified teachers is vital to improving the performance and persistence of students in STEM, particularly students traditionally underrepresented in related fields. This dissertation explored predictors of high school physics and chemistry teacher retention, as well as…

Student retention rates in higher education have been a focus of study for decades, yet the problem of low student retention still exists, particularly among community college students. While student retention has not been empirically investigated among community college students in language courses, the specific problem of low course-level…

Student retention is a growing and common concern among community college administrators across the United States given the low retention rates at two-year institutions. With little change in the retention rates of first-year students at community colleges, administrators are searching for successful strategies and models within these…

The influence of the principal on student learning is second only to classroom instruction of school-level factors (Grissom, 2020; Wahlstrom et al., 2011). A sustained, positive school climate is associated with a variety of positive outcomes such as improved student achievement, graduation rates, and teacher retention (Thapa et al., 2013).…

Among the many new educational challenges resulting from COVID-19 and existing learning deficits of students in underserved communities, districts and policymakers must address the school disruption caused by constant principal turnover. Extensive empirical studies on principal turnover continually show that transiting leaders impact staff and…

Researchers continue to examine psychological safety and its impact on individual performance in both work and learning environments. Psychological safety in the learning environment reduces perceived learning threats and barriers while also promoting an atmosphere that increases engagement and commitment to learning roles. Growing evidence…

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS; Hopko, Bare, & Hunt, 2003) and the Math Anxiety Scale -- Revised (MAS-R; Bai, 2009) across race and gender as well as the extent to which race and gender predict learning math anxiety and math evaluation anxiety at both the secondary level, which…