Paving the way for college success

Julie Landry

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Center for American Progress. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/04/b1579981.html ...... o Intramural Sports: 37% (26/70). ▪ Feel Comfortable at ...

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• Sport

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• Publié par: Sportif
• Publié le: 02 mai 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 127
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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PAVING THE WAY FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS Strategies for Increasing College Persistence and Graduation Rates April 2010 Paving the Way for College Success Page 2 FOREWORD: BY ALEXANDRA BERNADOTTE, FOUNDER AND CEO, BEYOND 12 Carlos was born in Southeast Houston to immigrant parents from Central America. While no one in his family had gone to thcollege, his own interest in college was sparked when he enrolled as a 6 grader in a public college-preparatory school. Despite academic challenges in middle school and high school, Carlos decided to pursue a college degree. With the support of his parents, teachers, and college counselors, he applied to and was accepted at a small, competitive private college with a transitional year program designed to improve his academic skills and promote collaborative learning while he took his first college courses. Unlike many of his peers from similar backgrounds, Carlos was pleasantly surprised to find that his transition to college was relatively smooth. He felt well-prepared academically, particularly in math, and had developed strong study habits in high school, which made college-level coursework much more manageable. Although he initially found it difficult to fit in, he joined a variety of extracurricular groups, which helped him to create a supportive social network with a broad range of peers. He met with his academic advisor regularly, visited his professors during office hours, and the writing resource lab was his second home. Five years out of high school, Carlos is now a college graduate. Sadly, Carlos’ story is rare. For many students with similar backgrounds, the odds of getting to college – let alone earning a bachelor’s degree – are slim. Even those students who persist and graduate encounter a multitude of obstacles along the way, from insufficient financial aid to social isolation to academic struggles. What was it about Carlos’ experience that enabled him to succeed in college? His own resilience and perseverance clearly mattered a great deal, but other critically important factors include the comprehensive support he received from his family and high school prior to and throughout his post-secondary years, as well as assistance from the student retention office his college established to help undergraduates earn their degrees. He completed a college-preparatory curriculum that prepared him well academically, but also received expert guidance on college selection and application from experienced counselors who steered him toward colleges where he was likely to succeed. Before college, he gained valuable insight on what to expect there through both alumni conversations and small-group discussions with classmates and teachers. Once in college, his faculty advisor assessed his challenges, provided him with academic and emotional support, and connected him with on-campus resources that helped him stay the course to graduation – even when financial difficulties disrupted his studies and threatened his continued enrollment. Today, a college degree matters more than ever. In an increasingly knowledge-based economy, the number of jobs available to adults without at least some post-secondary education is declining rapidly, and the earnings gap between jobs requiring a degree and those that do not is widening. College graduates earn at least 60 percent more than high school graduates, and are 1nearly twice as likely to be employed. Increasing the number of college graduates not only has a positive impact on the lives of youth today, it can also help break the cycle of poverty for generations to come: a parent’s level of education is the most 2important predictor of a child’s aspirations and level of success. Despite this, a staggering number of young people in this country do not graduate from college, particularly those who are from low-income backgrounds or the first in their families to attend college. Students from homes where neither parent has 3earned a degree are twice as likely as those with a college-educated parent to leave before their second year and only one in 4seven low-income students manage to earn a bachelor’s degree. Even as outstanding public college-preparatory high schools in disadvantaged communities graduate record numbers of low-income students and send them off to college, they find that too few of those students succeed once there. Rigorous academic preparation and a college-focused culture can get them in the door, but the path to a degree is not easy. While college enrollment is a noble pursuit, it is no longer enough: we must expect that all students will succeed in college, and then help make that happen. Both high schools and colleges must provide students with the skills, tools and support necessary to successfully navigate college life – and should work to bridge the divide between the K-12 and higher education systems that makes this transition particularly challenging. This is the only way to ensure that Carlos’ story becomes the rule rather than the exception. 1 U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006 2 Hertz, T. (2006). Understanding Mobility In America. Center for American Progress. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/04/b1579981.html 3 Choy, S. (2002). Access and Persistence: Findings from 10 Years of Longitudinal Research on Students. American Council on Education. http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/2002_access&persistence.pdf 4 Bedsworth, W., Colby, S., Doctor, J. (2006). Reclaiming the American Dream. The Bridgespan Group. http://www.bridgespan.org/learningcenter/resourcedetail.aspx?id=412 © 2010 by NewSchools Venture Fund. All rights reserved. April 2010 Paving the Way for College Success Page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS About NewSchools & This Publication ........................................................................................................................................................ 4  Purpose and Scope of This Toolkit ............................................................................................................................................................... 5  About the Featured Organizations...............................................................................................7  College Knowledge ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 8  Understanding Why a College Degree Matters ............................................................................................................................. 8  Exposure to the College Application Process ............................................................................................................................... 8  Connections to Alumni ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8  Summer Opportunities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9  Social Readiness ................................................................................................................................................................................. 9  Exploring Race and Identity .......................................................................................................................................................... 10  College Guidance .............................................................................. 11  Key Elements of the Selection Process ........................................................................................................................................ 11  Placement Support ........................................................................................................................................................................... 12  Financial Support ............................................................................... 13  Financial Aid Education and Support ...........................................................................................13  Demystifying Debt ............................................................. 13  Identifying Institutional Funding Sources ................................................................................................................................... 14  Balancing Work and School ........................................................................................................................................................... 14  Transition Support .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 15  Exit Interviews and Signing FERPA Waivers ........................................ 15  Ongoing Outreach by High Schools ............................................................................................................................................ 15  On-Campus Support and Strategic Partnerships ........................................................................................................................ 16  Peer Networks .................................................................................................................................................................................. 16  Family Engagement ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 17  FCE: Parents as Partners .....................................................................................