Preparation

This study evaluates the effectiveness of Sponsor-a-Scholar, a program for at-risk high school students which offers a mentor, academic assistance, college counseling and other services through their first year of college. High school academic performance, participation in college preparation activities, students’ self esteem and college enrollment and retention were analyzed.

This study examines the impact of the Early Assessment Program (EAP), which is designed to give high school juniors information regarding their academic readiness for college-level work, on college-going behavior and remediation in college. Administrative records from California State University, Sacramento, and high school information were analyzed. The study revealed that students participating in EAP were on average less likely to need remediation in college, and this program tends to encourage high school students to increase their academic preparation

This study examines how much 6th-12th grade students who reported plans to attend college and their parents knows about the cost of attending college, and the level of college preparation they undergo. Parent and youth survey data is analyzed and the study reveals that many middle and high school students and their parents, particularly parents with lower income and education level, do not have an accurate idea of the cost of college tuition, and students that were involved in family decision making were more inclined to gather information about college.

This study analyzes the impact of students participating in High School Puente, a program aimed at increasing the number of educationally disadvantaged students enrolling in a postsecondary institution. Data was collected form 1,000 Puente and 1,000 non-Puente students in 18 high schools. Results showed significant differences between Puente students and the non-Puente comparison group in terms of attitudes on school, college aspirations and preparation, and students attending a four-year postsecondary institution.

This document describes what skills a college and career ready student should have from the perspective of Achieve, Inc. The authors address the questions about college and career readiness that they are most frequently asked including how the organization defines "readiness" and what they mean by "college- and career- ready."

This report suggests that school systems must do three things to get students on track for academic success: 1) adopt high but attainable college-readiness standards that minimize the odds that students will need remediation should they attend college; 2) make a K-12 curriculum based on those standards the default curriculum for all students regardless of socioeconomic background; and 3) get students on track to reach those standards in elementary school, as getting academically behind students up to high academic standards later is difficult and costly.

This Doing What Works toolkit provides advice for students in navigating the process to apply and attend college and where to find additional resources to assist. The toolkit includes visual diagrams, expert interviews, state and district level examples of how to improve college access, and downloadable planning templates.

This report from the California Dropout Research Project discusses the improvement of high school outcomes by combining career-technical education (CTE) with college preparatory coursework in the curriculum. The author examines the effects of three approaches - like career academies or career-technical sequences - to this curriculum on high school students, and recommends that efforts to combining the curriculum should continue to develop despite implementation difficulties and uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness.

This report from <i>American Educator</i> discusses five features of successful early college high schools (ECHS). The authors examine the effects of these five features on high school educators, college educators and students, and provide recommendations that include providing a packaged curriculum, and proactively monitoring and guiding students, among others. This resource may be especially relevant to district administrators and teachers looking at way to improve disadvantaged students’ transition to college within their districts or classrooms.