The current study examined access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses as a function of these school characteristics (e.g., percentage of ethnic minority and lower socioeconomic status) and then examined AP course enrollment as a function of both access to AP courses and these school characteristics. Using structural equation modeling techniques, results indicated that school characteristics, such as the percentage of students who have minority and/or lower socioeconomic status backgrounds, would appear to be more related to the availability of AP curricula rather than to the number of students who enroll in these courses at a school.

Many non-traditional and first-generation students face multiple limitations to successful academic achievement, like the case of the student referred to in this chapter named Sarah. A primary strength that Sarah identified, related to academic success, was her ability to provide emotional and financial stability for her family. To accommodate her full-time schedule and parenting demands, Sarah expressed a need to learn through distance education from a research-based, state university. Adult learners, like Sarah, are more likely to seek online instructional delivery services. They often do this to as they seek educational credentials and job enhancement for the workplace. Despite the increased usage of web-based course delivery, many students favor traditional learning environments in the university (Adams & Corbett, 2010). Thus, personal, academic, and social factors may determine non-traditional students’ preference in learning methods.

The purpose of the current study is to examine secondary school factors that predict the performance and persistence of African American students at postsecondary institutions. Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), used as the theoretical framework of this study, suggests that intentions, driven by attitudes and beliefs, can predict behavior. This theory was adapted to include resilience, a theory that focuses on student assets, rather than deficits. This theory focuses on how children overcome risk factors like poverty and poor schools to reach agreed upon measures of success.