This article examines the impact of proactive, data-informed success coaching on students' retention and completion outcomes, drawing on theories of student engagement and a five-year (2016-2020), mixed-methods study of coaching conducted across 10 North Carolina community colleges. Results from a randomized controlled trial show that coaching…

Although diverse patterns of college enrollment have gained attention in recent years, few studies have looked at students who take courses at four-year and two-year colleges simultaneously. Using a propensity score matching approach to compare outcomes of four-year college students who earned up to 10 credits at two-year colleges, termed…

Student networks play important roles in navigating vertical transfer. This article takes a qualitative approach to ego-network analysis to explore how transfer-intending community college students leverage networks during the transfer process. We use longitudinal data to analyze both the composition of student networks over time and the types of…

The "college for all" ethos pervasive in American education, combined with open admission policies at community colleges, has allowed academically underprepared students to persist from high school to college. We ask: how do college advisors help academically underprepared students navigate decisions about their careers and upcoming…

Despite the attention paid to two- to four-year transfer in college, much less is known about four- to two-year transfer. This study finds that 17 percent of four-year beginning students transfer to a two-year college within six years. Using eight years of state administrative data and the distance to two-year colleges as an instrumental variable,…

Dual credit coursework has become a popular strategy to bolster the college completion agenda, yet research on program implementation is scarce. This qualitative interview study uses complexity theory to investigate how 103 teachers enacted dual credit at eight high schools partnered with a community college system in Texas. Findings demonstrate…

Evidence of inefficient course-taking patterns at community colleges has spurred policy conversations about how to ensure effective course sequences. Structural reforms, like guided pathways, seek to reduce major switching as a means to streamline student course taking and eliminate unnecessary credits. By placing students into broad fields of…

STEM majors offer pathways to lucrative careers but are often inaccessible to first-generation students. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study, we conducted descriptive statistics, regression analyses, and group comparisons to examine differences between first-generation students and continuing-generation students across STEM degree,…

Although the majority of college freshmen enroll at community colleges, very few research studies focus on this context. In addition, what research does exist often overlooks important practitioner concerns, such as instruction. In this article we argue that supporting generalizable education research conducted by community college practitioners…

This study employed the career capital framework (DeFillippi & Arthur, 1994; Inkson & Arthur, 2001) and the associated three ways of knowing adapted for community colleges: "knowing why" (aspirations), "knowing how" (knowledge and skills), and "knowing whom" (sources of information). The authors constructed an…

In 2010, Tennessee enacted the Complete College Tennessee Act (CCTA), which increased the proportion of state performance-based funding from 5.45% to 85% and added a 40% funding premium for progression and degree completions by adult students and low-income students. We collect data from 2001-02 to 2014-15 and use difference-in-differences…

This study examines the effects of transfer associate degree policies: an articulation approach featuring two-year credentials as a mechanism to transfer credits from two-to four-year institutions. Using institution-level data, I exploit variation in the introduction of these policies across multiple states as a natural experiment. Results suggest…

This study explored science, mathematics, and general academic factors that predicted outcomes for community college students (N = 3052) in a regional institution. A binary logistic regression was performed to determine significant independent variables contributing to successful outcomes (graduation or transfer) vs. non-completion. Transcript…

The persistent stereotypes of Asian-American students being highly academically successful and not needing support presents a unique context for which to study institutions with a critical mass of low-income Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). This critical ethnographic case study examines practitioners' meaning-making of the federal…

This study uses nationally representative longitudinal data and propensity score modeling to evaluate the effects of first-year engagement experiences at community college--including social and academic contact with faculty and participation in study groups and clubs--on achievement, persistence, degree attainment, and vertical transfer. Speaking…