Over the last 5 years, high school students with disabilities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) have experienced a higher rate of dropout compared to their peers, adding to an ever-widening gap in learning and graduation rates. The rationale for this study was the growing numbers of dropouts among students with disabilities that contribute to high rates of poor performing schools and create a burden on the local and federal government as the CNMI employment rates decline and reliance on the U.S. government for support increases. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of students with disabilities who drop out of high school, their perceptions of the learning environment, and the factors that contributed to their decisions to drop out. The conceptual framework was the constructivist theory. To answer what influenced high school students with disabilities to drop out of school and to what extent their perceptions of the constructivist element of belonging, engagement, or advocacy contributed to their decision to drop out, a qualitative case study design was used. Interviews were conducted with 10 former students who dropped out between 2013 and 2016 school years from high schools in the CNMI. Thematic analysis was used for emergent themes. Findings included that students do not receive their high school diploma because school policies prevented them due to age and lack of credits. Poor learning environments hindered students' engagement. Poor teachers' advocacy also hindered students' graduation. The findings can be used by school district leaders and staff in the implementation of effective interventions for improving graduation outcomes for students with disabilities in order for these students to become contributing members of society through gainful employment and enhanced quality of life.

Predicting retention and time to graduation within accelerated online and a hybrid RN-to-BSN programs are significant elements in leveraging the pipeline of qualified RNs with BSN degrees, but the literature lacks significant accounts of retention and time to graduation outcomes within these programs and predictive algorithm developments to offset high attrition rates. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine the relationships between pre-entry attributes, academic integration, and institutional characteristics on retention and time to graduation within accelerated online RN-to-BSN programs in order to begin developing a global predictive retention algorithm. This study was guided by Tinto's theories of integration and student departure (1975, 1984, 1993) and Rovai's composite persistence model. Retrospective datasets from 390 student academic records were obtained. Findings of this study revealed pre-entry GPA, number of education credits, enrollment status, 1st and 2nd course grades and GPA index scores, failed course type, size and geographic region, admission GPA standards, prerequisite criteria, academic support and retention methods were statistically significant predictors of retention and timely graduation (p <.05). A decision tree model was performed in SPSS modeler to compare multiple regression and binary logistic regression results, yielding a 96% accuracy rate on retention predictions and a 46 % on timely graduation predictions. Recommendations for future research are to examine other variables that may be associated with retention and time to graduation for results can be used to redevelop accurate predictive retention models. Having accurate predictive retention models will affect positive social change because RN-to-BSN students that successfully complete a BSN degree will impact the quality and safety of patient care.

Abstract The dropout rates of African American and Hispanic students in the United States are significantly higher than that of White students. Failure to obtain a high school diploma has adverse economic and social implications for these students and for society. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between a credit recovery program with key demographic variables and high school GPA, which is a graduation antecedent, for students in an alternative school. Knowles' framework of adult learning theory was used to examine how participation in the credit recovery process in a system of predominantly African American-serving alternative schools predicted GPA while accounting for the influence of student demographic variables. The ex-post facto causal-comparative design involved the analysis of an archival random sample of 168 former students, 84 of whom had taken credit recovery courses and 84 of whom had not. A multiple linear regression model (R =0.257, F(4, 163) = 2.770, p = 0.029) indicated that only gender (β = 0.188, p = .02) significantly predicted the students' GPA, with female students outperforming males. A conclusion is that the implementation of credit recovery programs in U.S. schools does not have any impact on students' GPA. The results suggest weaknesses in program delivery and training and that the review and revision of professional development opportunities for teachers is merited. Drawing from the extant literature, a professional development recommendation was made to improve program effectiveness based on documented best practice examples. Implications for the promotion of positive social change include the evaluation of more robust credit recovery programs capable of improving the graduation rates of U.S. Hispanic and African American students.

High school graduation rates and the leadership of principals are important measures of accountability within schools. Principal leadership has been investigated through qualitative and correlational studies in mostly urban areas. Limited research has focused on the educational leadership characteristics of the high school principals and graduation rates in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to identify, describe, and categorize the leadership characteristics of veteran and novice principals with respect to graduation rates in selected rural schools. Bolman and Deal's 4 frames of leadership informed this study and helped to create the broad leadership categories of interpersonal skills, leadership and communication styles, and collaboration skills. The research questions focused on understanding the leadership characteristics and differences between novice and veteran principals. Purposive sampling was used to select 21 participants for in-depth interviews in 7 high school settings. The methodology combined interviews with a review of district data and documents. The data were thematically analyzed by a constant comparative method and category construction. Trustworthiness was ensured with member checking and triangulation. Key findings indicated that all principals had general leadership characteristics such as active listening, collaboration, a communication style, and promotion of school/home partnership. Three out of 4 high graduation rate schools tended to have veteran principals. Veteran principals focused on professional development and cultivating relationships, whereas novice principals focused on using data in decision making. Identifying and developing specific characteristics in leaders and matching them with schools will improve the instructional environment for students and strengthen the expertise of the faculty and staff.

This dissertation examined personal, cultural, school, and family factors that contribute to the decision of Native American students to remain in school until graduation or to drop out. One hundred eighty-one participants who had either graduated or dropped out of school completed a 140-item questionnaire. Participants lived on the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Reservation located at Fort Hall, Idaho. Factors examined in the survey instrument included substance abuse by self or family members, peer pressure, trouble with the law, self-esteem, teen pregnancy, family structure, socioeconomic status, parents education, academic achievement, teacher attitudes and expectations, school attendance, tribal self-identity and pride, and bilingualism. This research was based on the assumption that issues and processes in Native American education must be addressed by Native people themselves in order for positive change to occur. In addition, the research looked for factors that seem to keep Native Americans in school. The analysis suggested that respondents who were at a higher risk of dropping out of school had a negative self-attitude, frequently skipped school, and had negative attitudes about their teachers' expectations. These results differed significantly from those of Native Americans who had positive self-attitudes, positive attitudes about their teachers' expectations, and positive family influences. Themes of poverty, self-esteem, and teacher attitudes repeatedly surfaced. Graduates frequently reported that positive family expectations (including teachers) kept them in school. This dissertation provides important information for those involved in Native American education. In addition, this dissertation brings together the views of the Native American, specifically the Shoshone-Bannock people, in the journey of education. Together, the review of literature and data collected on the Shoshone-Bannock Indian reservation provide a valuable resource for teachers, parents , and community members now involved, or soon to be involved, in Native American education.

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Low graduation rates in many Tennessee high schools present a significant problem. Many students are not prepared to graduate. Parent involvement advocates contend that the more involved parents are in their children’s education, from preschool through the secondary schooling levels, the better the probability their children will graduate from high school (Blendinger and Jones, 2003). The purpose of this investigation focusing on “best practices” literature in the area of parent involvement was to develop a strategic parent involvement model having potential for improving graduate rates among Tennessee’s high schools. The study explored the published works of Joyce Epstein, Jack Blendinger, and Linda T. Jones in the field of parental involvement for the purpose of developing a parent involvement model for implementation in Tennessee high schools confronted with low graduation rates. The model produced holds significant potential for increasing graduation rates. A qualitative research design, referred to as archival research, was used in this investigation. Data were collected for more than a 25-year period (1987-2015). Textual criticism provided an analytical method for determining practical applications regarding what educational researchers attempted to communicate in their published works. Blendinger and Adams (2015) developed a technique for data analysis involving published works that they called the majority text method. The technique employs close (critical) reading strategies for the purpose of examining similarities and differences occurring in the content provided in research reports, books, journal articles, and so forth produced by the same author or authors over a substantial period of time. Insight gained from examining the documents were transcribed in the form of notes. The notes were then carefully reviewed and analyzed. Reoccurring themes, patterns, and phrases that emerged were recorded. Themes and patterns were separated into categories to make connections between the archival data and the research question driving the study. Findings based on the published works of Epstein, Blendinger, and Jones led to the development of a strategic parental involvement model known as The Nifty Nine. The Nifty Nine consists of 9 parent involvement strategies designed to improve the partnership between home and high school.