ABSTRACT Access to pre-college and college support programs is essential to student achievement and success. There are a myriad of opportunities and programming that will assist in college readiness for K–12 students. Exposure and awareness are key to these college readiness programs. By participating in college readiness programs, students are more apt to further their postsecondary education and graduate from an institution of higher education. Dual enrollment programs are just one avenue that students can explore to prepare for college. These programs allow students to take college level courses while being dually enrolled at both the college/university and their high school. This allows the student to earn college credit and high school credit simultaneously.Pre-college and readiness programs are crucial for student success, especially for underrepresented populations. Access to accurate and comprehensive information about college can aid individual students’ postsecondary decision-making process. However, studies show that students’ access to college information and their sources for such information greatly vary depending on their demographic circumstances (Galotti & Mark, 1994). The survey was distributed to school administrators and school counseling personnel. Thirty-seven individuals responded and completed the survey. The third and final phase was a series of one-on-one interviews conducted with ten school leaders to discuss how they widen access to dual enrollment programs. The survey data provided the foundation, and the interview provided a deeper understanding to arrive at answers to the research questions. Of the survey respondents, it was found that school leaders take on as much responsibility as the school counseling personnel as related to preparing students for pre-college programs. The interviews with school leaders further explained their position on how they widen access to all students, such as by establishing more high school/university partnerships. The findings from this study provided insight into how students are assisted in the college preparation process. Additional research is needed to further examine the perspective of the school counseling personnel and the student/family perspective. / Educational Leadership

Some first-generation and low-income students enrolled in an Upward Bound (UB) program in a university in the southeastern United States are not prepared to transition from high school to college; therefore, they may need additional guidance, support, resources, and tools to help them with the process. For this reason, precollege programs such as the UB program were designed to prepare first-generation, low-income students for transitioning from high school to college. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to describe first-generation, low-income students' perspectives of the UB program. The conceptual framework for this case study was Tinto's student integration model. Purposeful sampling was used to select 7 UB graduates who were enrolled in the program for at least 2 years. Opened-ended interview questions were used to gather data for open coding and axial coding data analysis process. The results of this study were used to develop an UB Report which described UB gradates' perspectives of the program. Included in the report are the findings, which revealed that UB graduates identified benefits (motivation, social exposure, and student experiences) and resources (services and guest speakers) as major components of the program that contributed to their transition from high school to college. Reporting the perspectives of UB graduates will help UB directors and secondary and postsecondary administrators better understand how the UB program positively affects first-generation, low-income students' successful transition from high school to college.

Despite popular perceptions that the National Park Service (NPS) is first and foremost the steward of spectacular natural vistas, two-thirds of the system’s nearly four hundred parks exist explicitly to protect and interpret cultural and historic resources. It is this perception that the NPS only cares for Western natural wonders that impedes the agency, especially as it looks to the future. If the National Park Service is looking to cultivate the next generation of stewards, as employees, visitors, or advocates, it must understand how this diverse audience perceives the NPS. This thesis argues that this next generation of millennials perceives the National Park Service as a purveyor of natural wonders in the Western United States, road trip destinations. While the NPS is far from only “Western nature parks,” this popular perception permeates the next generation of park stewards. With this in mind, this thesis argues that the National Park Service must actively prioritize this next generation by defining who they are, recognize their perceptions and needs from the NPS, and understand how to best engage them in all aspects of natural and cultural resources. The NPS has a long history of youth engagement and outreach, in both natural and cultural resources, illustrating its importance to the agency. Looking to the future, it is imperative that the NPS supports youth engagement and outreach in a more productive and inclusive way. / History

The Caribbean University's Pre-College Program (PCP) served as the conduit for the nation's academically underprepared high school graduates to matriculate to university and earn a degree. The PCP student enrollment increased annually since 2010; however, less than 70% of the total PCP students matriculated to an associate degree. Without a formal program evaluation, the empirical evidence into the factors that influenced PCP students' progress remained unknown. The purpose of this participatory-summative logic outcomes program evaluation was to measure stakeholders' perspectives of the ways in which the PCP's purpose, structure, and outcomes were manifested in the practices at the Caribbean University. A purposeful sample of 9 PCP students from the 2010 to 2015 PCP cohorts volunteered and received a 31-item Likert-scale College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ) on-line survey to garner insights into the factors influencing the PCP learners' outcomes. Nine PCP faculty members and the deputy registrar completed separate versions of an online questionnaire. The PCP students' responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The open-ended responses were coded and analyzed. The PCP faculty members and deputy registrar's open-ended responses were coded, and thematically analyzed. Participants' responses identified institutional, curricular, and admissions criteria issues that influenced PCP students' low academic performance while supporting the PCP's program continuation. Findings and recommendations were included in an executive report for the study site. Providing the outcomes of this research to the leadership at the study site may lead to positive social change by supporting a second chance for this Caribbean nation's academically underprepared high school graduates who seek a college degree.

Urban high schools that predominantly service at-risk students have not been faring well, with disproportionate numbers of minority children and poor White children are dropping out. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between leaders' successes and the number of reduced dropout initiatives in 2 urban schools. This research was guided by empirical literature that included a review of various successful leadership practices. Case study interviews were conducted with 2 principals and 3 directors and were analyzed for common themes. Quantitative survey data were collected from a purposeful sample of 195 students and 7 administrative leaders in these schools; these quantitative data were then analyzed via descriptive statistics. Findings from the interviews indicated that multiple styles of leadership (e.g., distributive, transformational) are recommended as critical in these complex environments. Findings from the quantitative surveys indicated that students appreciated the role of management and the need for increased engagement in school. Administrators indicated a need for upper management support. This study contributes to social and organizational change by providing stakeholders with a better understanding of how management indirectly influences reduced dropout of at-risk youth. Future studies should include parent voices as they relate to high school dropout and connectedness to schools.

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