Preparing for College
General
Parent Expectations and Planning for College: Statistical Analysis Report (2008), National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
"Nine out of every 10 students (91 percent) in grades 6 through 12 had parents who expected them to continue their education beyond high school, with about two-thirds (65 percent) having had parents who expected them to finish college. Among students whose parents expected them to continue their education after high school, 82 percent had parents who reported that the family was planning on helping to pay for their child’s postsecondary education costs."
From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (March 2008), Consortium on Chicago School Research
Chicago public school students at all levels of qualifications do not successfully navigate the daunting process of enrolling in four-year colleges and too often default to colleges for which they are overqualified. The good news is that teachers, counselors, and administrators can improve college access for students by helping them understand how to make decisions about potential colleges and making sure that students effectively participate in the college application and financial aid process.
From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality (Dec. 2007), Institute for Higher Education Policy
Parents are particularly important in helping their children complete the courses necessary for college, apply to college and figure out how to pay for their education. 87 percent of middle school parents surveyed expected their child to go to college. However, more than one-third reported having no sources of information on college preparation or admission.
From Nation-Leading to World-Competing (2007), Minnesota Department of Education (scroll down to PDF)
The Governor's Education Council developed a set of goals and indicators for P-16 student achievement, intended to serve as a compass for charting education policy in the next decade. The four goals are: 1) Core proficiency — every student graduating from K-12 should meet a core proficiency level so that they can enter the workforce or post-secondary institutions, 2) College readiness and rigorous course-taking — all students must have the opportunity to take a rigorous high school curriculum, 3) Graduation rates — 100 percent of students will graduate, 4) College success indicators — participation and persistence of students entering post-secondary institutions should be measured.
Straight from the Source: What Works for First-Generation College Students (2006), The Pell Institute
"First-generation students identified three crucial steps along the pipeline to college where support was most helpful in making a successful transition from high school: raising aspirations for college, navigating the college admissions process and easing the initial transition to college."
Public High School Graduation and College-Readiness Rates: 1991–2002 (2005), Greene, Jay P. and Marcus A. Winters, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
Minnesota ranks 5th nationally with a high school graduation rate of 84 percent. There is a wide disparity in the Minnesota graduation rates of white and minority students. In the class of 2002, about 88% of white students graduated from high school with a regular diploma, compared to 54% of African-American students.
High School Dropout Rates, 2005, Atlas of Minnesota Online Edition, Center for Rural Policy and Development
Dropout rates are important information for school districts, families and the community in general.Students of Color
2006 State of Students of Color (2006), Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, Inc.
“Any effort to increase college attendance for students of color should examine whether students are participating in the necessary activities that prepare them for college….of those Minnesota high school students who took the ACT in 2004-05, students of color were less likely to be prepared for college level work in composition, social sciences, algebra and biology.”
Great Expectations: How the Public and Parents — White, African American and Hispanic — View Higher Education (2006), John Immerwahr with Tony Foleno, Public Agenda (free registration required)
“Federal statistics show that Hispanics and African Americans are less likely than whites to complete college. Public Agenda research has found that the problem isn't motivation or encouragement....Hispanic and African American parents are actually more likely to emphasize the value of higher education than whites.”With Diploma in Hand: Hispanic High School Seniors Talk about their Future (2006), John Immerwahr, Public Agenda (free registration required)
“Focus group sessions with Hispanic high school students… suggest some other barriers students might face in pursuing higher education. Some promising students, particularly when they are the first in their family to go to college, may be derailed by poor understanding of how the admissions game is played, and little nuts-and-bolts guidance from adults who lack experience with college themselves.”
College Readiness (Testing)
NAEP 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress Results Show Closing Achievement Gap (2007), Minnesota Department of Education
Known as the "nation's report card," the NAEP is a federally mandated project. Since 1969, NAEP has measured and reported on the knowledge and abilities of America's fourth, eighth and twelfth grade students. In 2007, Minnesota students in grades 4 and 8, as a whole, performed better than the national average when compared to other states. While performance on reading and mathematics tests failed to show any significant increase in achievement levels since 2005, long-term gains in reading and mathematics test scores have reduced the achievement gap for students of color.ACT Scores (2007), Minnesota Office of High Education
Minnesota High School Profile Report, ACT
Minnesota's average score of 22.5 was the highest in the nation among the 26 states in which more than half the college-bound students took the test. 70 percent of Minnesota high school graduates in 2007 took the assessment. The overall average for the state masks disparities in participation and preparation by race. Minnesota's students of color are far less likely to take the ACT exam.Coursework and Preparation
Advanced Placement (2007), Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in 278 Minnesota high schools to prepare students to take exams offered by the College Board. This program gives students the opportunity to take college-level courses while in high school. During 2006-07, 25,988 students took 41,763 AP examinations. Of all Minnesota AP test takers, 11 percent were students of color.
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (2006), Minnesota Office of Higher Education
During the 2004-05 school year, 7,441 Minnesota high school juniors and seniors participated in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program at a post-secondary institution. The program has documented measurable student benefits. However, some segments of the student population including low-income and students of color, are under-represented in PSEO programs. In addition, the PSEO program permits public high schools to provide college-level courses within their schools, "College in the High School." It is estimated that, during the 2004-05 school year, 14,000 high school students participated using this option.(Click on graphic to view at larger size.)
Parent Expectations and College Planning
See how planning for college is related to household income.
