The College and Career Readines and Success Center closed on September 30,2019 because the grant cycle for the U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive Centers ended. The information on this website will no longer be updated. Visit www.air.org for updates on college and career readiness.
Submitted by Austin Pate on
On August 15 the College and Career Readiness and Success Center and the American Youth Policy Forum co-hosted the webinar, “Transforming Remediation: Understanding the Research, Policy, and Practice.” The Webinar addressed barriers to the successful completion of postsecondary education, specifically the need to alter and reform remedial education practices.
Data suggests that the Postsecondary Success Collaborative, a program aimed to smooth the transition from high school to college, has increased college enrollment rates. Target high schools participating in the initiative saw a 12% increase in the number of students enrolling in college. The initiative provides school districts with a $5.1 million grant with participants agreeing to use the funds to "coordinate academic programs, align K-12 curriculums with postsecondary and workforce requirements, and engage community groups".
School officials in Kennewick, Washington will be visiting the homes of dropout students to encourage them to complete their high school degree as part of their "We Want You Back" campaign. The program targets former students who are at least 18 years old, but also young enough to feel comfortable participating in a traditional or alternative high school. Last year volunteers were able to identify, locate, and talk to 10 out of 35 dropouts and several of them enrolled in the program.
The National Assessment Governing Board voted to adopt a definition for what it means to be "college prepared" in regards to reading and mathematics assessment scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The definitions are based on more than 30 studies and will be used for the reporting of assessment scores in 2014. In addition to setting college readiness benchmarks within the NAEP, the board tried to set career readiness benchmarks, but were unable to draw conslusions relating NAEP performance to careers.
Submitted by CCRS Center on
Looking for new college and career readiness and success-related resources? Here are some pieces that other organizations have recently released:
College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (U.S. Department of Education, April 2013)
This study calculates high school graduation rates and the percentage of all students who left high school eligible to apply for college from 1991 to 2002. The study finds that during this period the graduation rate went from 72% to 71%, while the college readiness rate increased from 25% to 34%.
This evaluation of New Jersey GEAR UP assessed the quality of program implementation and outcomes of the program implementation in middle and high schools.
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.
This study evaluates the impact of the Quantum Opportunity Program (QOP), a case management and mentoring program for high school students aimed at increasing high school graduation rates and college enrollment. It was found that sites implementing the QDP model generally did not meet enrollee needs for education or support services, and most enrollees attended fewer program activities, though there was significant variability by site.
This report examined disparities in the distribution of teaching and learning resources in California secondary schools. Results indicated that the most disadvantaged populations of middle and high school students are likely have teachers with limited qualifications to teach their subject areas. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds also were less likely to be enrolled in the necessary courses for admission to four-year public institutions.
