@inbook{colclough_deal_2024, place={United Kingdom}, title={Data-Informed Community College Teaching and Learning Hubs in North Carolina}, ISBN={9781003428626}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003428626-17}, DOI={10.4324/9781003428626-17}, booktitle={A Toolkit for Mid-Career Academics}, publisher={Routledge}, author={Colclough, Monique N. and Deal, Sarah A.}, year={2024}, month={Feb}, pages={156–166} }
 @article{worsham_whatley_crain_deal_skinner_2023, title={Assessing the Role of Spatial Inequality in Transfer Student Success}, volume={52}, ISSN={0091-5521 1940-2325}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00915521231201207}, DOI={10.1177/00915521231201207}, abstractNote={ Objective: Vertical community college transfer has become an essential pathway for many students who hope to attain bachelor’s degrees. Prior literature indicates that institutional supports, like transfer articulation agreements and transfer advising, have a positive influence on transfer success. Yet, spatial inequality theory indicates that these resources may be distributed unevenly over geographic context. The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship between spatial context and transfer student success. Methods: Using data from the University of North Carolina System, we estimate a series of regression models, to determine the relationship between county-level measures of rurality, economic distress, and access to broadband internet and the number of credits transferred from the community college to the 4-year institution, excess credits at graduation, and number of major changes at 4-year colleges. Results: The results of our analyses indicate that that the spatial context in which colleges are situated has a relationship to transfer student success. In particular, students transferring from counties that are more rural and economically distressed and have less access to broadband internet may experience worse transfer outcomes. Conclusions: The results of our study indicate that spatial inequality is complex and can be defined in many ways, which has implications for those who use geographic boundaries to identify areas for inquiry or intervention. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of considering variation in resources across spatial context when addressing educational inequality. Further study is necessary to understand the mechanisms driving our results, as well as other ways to measure spatial inequality. }, number={1}, journal={Community College Review}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Worsham, Rachel E. and Whatley, Melissa and Crain, Andrew and Deal, Sarah and Skinner, Benjamin T.}, year={2023}, month={Nov}, pages={30–57} }
 @article{nachman_maldonado_hartman_deal_2023, title={How Career Coaches Employed by Community Colleges Shape Students’ Postsecondary and Professional Pathways in North Carolina Public High Schools}, volume={7}, ISSN={1066-8926 1521-0413}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2023.2238646}, DOI={10.1080/10668926.2023.2238646}, abstractNote={Community colleges have long responded to local workforce needs through assembling programming and alliances aimed at reducing workforce gaps while concurrently training the next generation of industry professionals. The emergence of the North Carolina Community College System’s NC Career Coach Program, stemming from North Carolina General Statute 115D–21.5, is one such illustration. Through situating career coaches – community college staff – in local high schools to provide students with resources and opportunities for academic and professional growth, the NC Career Coach Program is meeting the needs of the state and its stakeholders. The purpose of this study is to explore how North Carolina career coaches use career capital to support high school students’ career and college goals. This study proposes a conceptual framework grounded in social and career capital. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, we drew on surveys, interviews, focus groups, and documents to understand how coaches serve students in their professional and/or postsecondary pursuits. Findings indicate that career coaches serve as a connector among students, the college, and industry employers, forming relationships with each group, and importantly, developing trust with students and their families to support students’ college and career goals. In so doing they bolster students’ social and career capital, as well as honor the NC Career Coach Program’s mission to serve under-resourced communities across the state. Finally, we offer implications for research and practice that highlight the capacity of community college career coaches to support high school students with career and college objectives.}, journal={Community College Journal of Research and Practice}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Nachman, Brett Ranon and Maldonado, Laura G. and Hartman, Catherine and Deal, Sarah A.}, year={2023}, month={Jul}, pages={1–16} }