Preparation

New CCRS Center Technical Assistance Response: Advanced Placement for College Readiness

The College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center is a technical assistance hub that promotes CCRS knowledge development and increases collaboration through interactive learning activities for Regional Comprehensive Centers, state education agencies, and other CCRS stakeholders. This blog post is the first in a series of posts that will draw on technical assistance responses we have prepared for individual states to answer specific questions and address specific needs related to their CCRS work.

A Path to Alignment: Connecting K-12 and Higher Education Via the Common Core and the Degree Qualifications Profile

This report  describes the gap in the alignment between K-12 and higher education learning objectives and outcomes. The authors argue for the coordinated adoption and alignment of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) as a solution to this problem.

Helping Students Get a Head Start on the "Real World": State Strategies for Early High School Graduation

This brief challenges the need for a fourth year of high school, addressing the controversy around “senior year” and its tendency to draw out the high school experience. In proposing the topic of early graduation, the document outlines a number of policy approaches and their successful implementation in various states. Among these programs are scholarship incentives, dual enrollment, virtual classes, and proficiency-based credits.

Beyond the Rhetoric: Improving College Readiness Through Coherent State Policy

This brief identifies key issues associated with the college readiness gap and causes of this gap, as well as outlines steps state policymakers and educators can take close the college readiness gap in their states. In order to ensure students are prepared for postsecondary success, a statewide college readiness agenda should be in place. Components of this college readiness agenda include: readiness standards, assessments, curriculum, teacher development, college placement, and state accountability. 

Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Southwest Bridge Event on College Readiness in Rural Schools

Preparing students for college and careers includes exposing them to a range of educational and employment opportunities. In rural communities, the geographic distance to universities and businesses can present a challenge for students and schools. However, strong community relationships and partnerships can help mitigate these challenges, particularly in rural areas.

New CCRS Center Brief: Understanding Accelerated Learning Across Secondary and Postsecondary Education

This month the College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS Center) released a brief titled Understanding Accelerated Learning Across Secondary and Postsecondary Education. Prepared by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), the brief catalogs and articulates accelerated learning options across and within secondary and postsecondary education.

Pathways through College: Strategies for Improving Community College Student Success

This brief discusses the barriers to community college completion faced by students, such as lack of preparation, financial aid, and competing obligations. The brief also offers solutions for improving community college student outcomes through implementing promising practices and strategies, some of which include curriculum alignment and student supports.

The Impacts of Regular Upward Bound: Results from the Third Follow-up Data Collection

This third year follow-up study evaluated the impact of Upward Bound, a federally-funded precollegiate program that aims to assist economically disadvantaged students prepare for, enter and succeed in college. Students were randomly assigned into Upward Bound and control groups. The study found that although Upward Bound students were not more likely to attend post-secondary institutions or earned more credits, the study does suggest that Upward Bound may increase the likelihood of attending a four-year post-secondary institution.

Career and Technical Education in the Balance: An Analysis of High School Persistence, Academic Achievement, and Postsecondary Destinations

This study explored the benefits of career and technical education. The author examined dropout rates, academic achievement, and postsecondary outcomes. The four groups consisted of (1) academic concentrators, (2) CTE concentrators, (3) dual concentrators, and (4) neither academic nor CTE concentrators. The study found that academic concentrators had the highest 1992 achievement scores in reading, mathematics, science, and history, and CTE students scored the lowest.

The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) and Its Impact on High School Students’ Completion of the University of California’s Preparatory Coursework

This report describes the effects that Project Graduation Really Achieves Dreams (GRAD) had on academic progress in select high schools in three states. Findings indicated that Project GRAD had a statistically significant positive impact on the number of students completing core academic curriculum in one site, some sites did not show an improvement in student academic preparation, and there were improvements made in attendance and promotion to 10th grade in some sites.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Preparation