Increasing College Enrollment Among Low and Moderate Income Families

Increasing College Enrollment Among Low and Moderate Income Families PDF Author: Eric Bettinger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College attendance
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Increasing College Enrollment Rates for Low-income Students by Providing Step-by-step College Information

Increasing College Enrollment Rates for Low-income Students by Providing Step-by-step College Information PDF Author: Kiritika Raj
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
The huge disparity in access to education continues to be a critical issue for all low-income students. According to National Center for Education Statistics (2015), the percentage of students expected to earn a bachelor's degree was smaller in 2004 than in 2002 for students that come from low-income families. Low-income students are less prepared for college than their middle/high counterparts, and this means low-income students are less likely to attend college leading to a decrease in college enrollment rates for the population. Research indicates that many low-income students do not enroll in post-secondary education two years after high school (Oseguera & Hwang, 2014). Low enrollment rates for the low-income population is primarily due to both students' and parents' lack of access to and understanding college resources and information such as financial aid, and the application process. Although parents and students are able to gain access to an assortment of resources and college information, the most challenging process for them is evaluating, analyzing and interpreting the information they encountered (Brown, Wohn & Ellison, 2016). In other words, information about the admissions/enrollment, financial aid and more often lack the step-by-step explanation and are presented in a complexed format that is difficult to understand. A workshop was created that focused on providing a step-by-step explanation of all college information such as class requirements, admissions/enrollment process, and financial aid. Furthermore, based on a needs assessment, a college resource handbook was also created that contained easy- to- understand step-by-step explanation of college information. The workshop allowed for parents and students to ask questions and receive one-on-one consultation if desired. The researcher collected program evaluations from parents and students at the end of the workshop in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and improve future workshops. Evaluations showed that the workshop was effective in providing low-income students and their parents with easy to comprehend college information. The evaluations revealed that students and parents found it to be extremely helpful to have the college resource handbook. The information gained from this workshop will help students be better prepared for the college enrollment process and parents to play an advocate role in the process. The workshop will increase the likelihood of low-income students attending and earning a college degree. Additionally, the effective of this workshop will lead to future workshops with a wider population of students.

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309159687
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
In order for the United States to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals, we must invest in research, encourage innovation, and grow a strong and talented science and technology workforce. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation explores the role of diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce and its value in keeping America innovative and competitive. According to the book, the U.S. labor market is projected to grow faster in science and engineering than in any other sector in the coming years, making minority participation in STEM education at all levels a national priority. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation analyzes the rate of change and the challenges the nation currently faces in developing a strong and diverse workforce. Although minorities are the fastest growing segment of the population, they are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering. Historically, there has been a strong connection between increasing educational attainment in the United States and the growth in and global leadership of the economy. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation suggests that the federal government, industry, and post-secondary institutions work collaboratively with K-12 schools and school systems to increase minority access to and demand for post-secondary STEM education and technical training. The book also identifies best practices and offers a comprehensive road map for increasing involvement of underrepresented minorities and improving the quality of their education. It offers recommendations that focus on academic and social support, institutional roles, teacher preparation, affordability and program development.

Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students

Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students PDF Author: The Executive The Executive Office of the President
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781503025912
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
With the growing demand for college-educated workers, a college education is one of the surest ways into the middle class. To help more students afford and graduate from college, the Administration has taken steps to address these challenges - doubling Federal investments in Pell Grants and college tax credits, reforming student loans, and taking new steps to reduce college costs and improve value. But while the President continues to push for changes that keep college affordable for all students and families, we can and must be doing more to get more low-income students prepared for college, enrolled in quality institutions, and graduating. Each year hundreds of thousands of low-income students face barriers to college access and success. Low-income students often lack the guidance and support they need to prepare for college, apply to the best-fit schools, apply for financial aid, enroll and persist in their studies, and ultimately graduate. As a result, large gaps remain in educational achievement between students from low-income families and their high-income peers. Increasing college opportunity is not just an economic imperative, but a reflection of our values. We need to reach, inspire, and empower every student, regardless of background, to make sure that our country is a place where if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead. Under the President and First Lady's leadership, the Administration and the Department of Education engaged with leading experts to identify the barriers to increasing college opportunity. Some of the most promising actions are to help and encourage low-income students to apply, enroll, and succeed in college. Based on the existing evidence, we identified four key areas where we could be doing more to promote college opportunity. On January 16th, the Administration is announcing new commitments from colleges and university presidents, nonprofits, leaders of philanthropy and the private sector in these four key areas. These efforts mark the beginning of an ongoing mobilization that will work to promote evidence-based techniques, continue to understand what works, and expand successful efforts.

The Rising Price of Inequality

The Rising Price of Inequality PDF Author: Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Congress charged the Advisory Committee in the "Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008" with monitoring and reporting on the condition of college access and persistence for low- and moderate-income students. The law requires provision of analyses and policy recommendations regarding the adequacy of grant aid from all sources--federal, state, and institutional--and the postsecondary enrollment and graduation rates of these students. This report seeks to fulfill that mandate by providing insights drawn from the invaluable longitudinal studies conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)--critical data that track the experiences of high school graduates through college. Adequacy of grant aid from all sources is assessed by examining the enrollment and persistence rates of low- and moderate-income high school graduates who seek to earn a bachelor's degree and are qualified to gain admission to a 4-year college, relative to the rates of their middle- and high-income peers. Over time, prices net of total grant aid at 4-year public colleges have risen as a percentage of family income for these students, leading to a cascade of negative effects: (1) Large-scale mismatches exist and are growing between the aspirations and qualifications of these high school graduates and where they are able financially to enroll in college; (2) Triggered by increasing family financial concerns about college expenses and financial aid, these mismatches are shifting initial enrollment of qualified students away from 4-year colleges; (3) Shifts in initial enrollment are consequential because where qualified high school graduates are able to start college (access) largely determines their likelihood of success (persistence); and (4) Exacerbating the negative impact of enrollment shifts, persistence rates today appear to be lower, especially for qualified high school graduates who are unable financially to start at a 4-year college. These trends greatly undermined bachelor's degree completion of high school graduates over the last two decades and, if unchecked, will take an even greater toll this decade. These findings are persuasive evidence that grant aid from all sources is not adequate to ensure access and persistence of qualified low- and moderate-income high school graduates. A summary of specific data findings and recommendations is contained in exhibit 1. Appendices include: (1) Income Ranges by Year; (2) Net Prices (Family Work and Load Burden) at Public Colleges as a Percentage of Family Income; (3) Parent Financial Concerns and Enrollment Behavior/Student Financial Concerns and Enrollment Behavior; (4) Family Financial Concerns and Enrollment Behavior/Impact of Parent Financial Concerns on Enrollment Behavior; (5) Impact of Student Financial Concerns on Enrollment Behavior/Impact of Family Financial Concerns on Enrollment Behavior; (6) Impact of Parent Financial Concerns Enrollment Behavior/Impact of Student Financial Concerns on Enrollment Behavior; (7) Impact of Family Financial Concerns on Enrollment Behavior; (8) Advisory Committee Members; and (9) Authorizing Legislation. (Contains 26 tables, 29 figures, 6 exhibits, and 51 endnotes.).

Paying for a College Education

Paying for a College Education PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Innovations in Improving Access to Higher Education

Innovations in Improving Access to Higher Education PDF Author: Barbara Schneider
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118872258
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 115

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Book Description
Gaining an understanding about the barriers in transitioning from high school to college is crucial to improving college access and matriculation—particularly for low-income families and first-generation college-goers. These obstacles include many factors, such as: Lack of access to resources at home or school Not having a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum or not taking advantage of these courses Misperceptions about the college-going process. This volume introduces innovative and effective ways to ease the transition process. One essential question examined is the role of high schools and whether they should take a more active role in preparing students for college. While some interventions in this issue are designed for school-wide implementation, others are more targeted and focus on certain aspects of the college process such as financial aid, but all recognize the role of high schools in shaping students’ college-going aspirations and behavior. By including the most cutting-edge and rigorous research on improving college access, this volume: Delineates the obstacles adolescents face in their transition from high school to college Increases understanding of the mechanisms contributing to gaps in college enrollment Highlights how interventions can help to ease these challenges. This is the 140th volume of New Directions for Youth Development, the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series dedicated to bringing together everyone concerned with helping young people, including scholars, practitioners, and people from different disciplines and professions.

Patterns of Two-Year and Four-Year College Enrollment Among Chicago Public Schools Graduates

Patterns of Two-Year and Four-Year College Enrollment Among Chicago Public Schools Graduates PDF Author: Vanessa M. Coca
Publisher: Consortium on Chicago School Research
ISBN: 9780997507355
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
As a college degree is increasingly seen as an essential step in a student's path to a successful future, this new report from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and the To&Through Project provides a descriptive examination of two- and four-year college enrollment patterns among Chicago Public Schools (CPS) graduates over the last 10 years. The study finds CPS graduates' immediate college enrollment rates increased over the last decade, with 63 percent of 2015 graduates enrolling in either a two- or four-year college immediately after high school, compared to 50 percent of graduates in 2006. However, many students delay enrollment. Nineteen percent of 2009 CPS high school graduates delayed enrollment, with 40 percent of those who delayed eventually enrolling in two-year colleges and 12 percent of delayed enrollees eventually enrolling in a four-year college. Further, immediate enrollment only tells part of the story. The study finds that 26 percent of CPS graduates who first enrolled in a four-year college transferred to a two-year college within four years of high school graduation, suggesting a need to better understand the factors driving this trend. Sixteen percent of immediate two-year college enrollees transferred to a four-year college within four years. The majority of 2009 CPS graduates who immediately enrolled in college enrolled in four-year colleges. The rate of two-year enrollment increased by 3 percentage points between 2006 and 2015, but the trend in two-year enrollment has recently diverged from the four-year enrollment trend. While rates of four-year enrollment increased since 2013, the rates of two-year enrollment decreased slightly. This means two-year enrollment now accounts for a smaller share of overall college enrollment than it has in the past. The growth in two-year enrollment was mainly at the City Colleges of Chicago. CPS graduates enrolled directly in two-year colleges at lower rates than seen in urban districts and nationally. In 2015, CPS graduates' rate of enrollment in four-year colleges was equal to the national rate at 44 percent, and higher than some urban districts, including New York and Los Angeles, which were 38 percent and 24 percent respectively. Nineteen percent of CPS graduates enrolled in two-year colleges, compared to 25 percent of graduates nationally. In looking at enrollment rates by student subgroup, the report finds Latino graduates had the lowest rates of overall college enrollment and the highest share of two-year college enrollment. Four-year college enrollment rates differed more by poverty level than two-year college enrollment rates. In 2015, 55 percent of graduates from high median income families enrolled in a four-year college, while 39 percent of graduates from low median income families enrolled in a four-year college. Graduates with lower grades and lower ACT scores were less likely to enroll in college and more likely to enroll in a two-year college. The report found variability in the academic characteristics of students who enroll in both two- and four-year colleges. Half of two-year enrollees had at least a 2.5 GPA, and about 40 percent of two-year enrollees had at least an 18 on the ACT. Nationally, the vast majority of four-year enrollees (91 percent) had at least a 2.5 GPA. There was considerable variability in students' GPA by institution attended, and students enrolled in the same colleges had very different ACT scores. The differences in GPA and ACT profiles of CPS graduates are greater across four-year institutions than across two-year institutions. Taken together, these findings suggest a need to better understand the myriad factors that inform students' college choices, as many students in the sample did not enroll in college, despite being qualified, while others did enroll despite relatively low levels of academic preparation.

Empty Promises the Myth of College Access in America

Empty Promises the Myth of College Access in America PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428960856
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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College Access

College Access PDF Author: Michael S. McPherson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Michael S. McPherson is president of The Spencer Foundation in Chicago, a foundation that researches how education can be improved. He is a former president of Macalester College in Minnesota. A nationally known economist who focuses on the interplay between education and economics, McPherson is the coauthor of "Economic Analyses and Moral Philosophy." Morton Owen Schapiro has been president of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, since 2000. An authority on the economics of higher education, he has written more than 50 articles and has coauthored five books with Michael McPherson, including "The Student Aid Game "and "Keeping College Affordable." America is often seen as a land of golden opportunity, but for many young people the statistics on college enrollment paint a different picture: Students from low-income families are less likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, and low-income students who do attend a post-secondary institution are most likely to enroll in public community college rather than an elite school. "College Access": "Opportunity or Privilege?" addresses the problem of unequal educational opportunity in the U.S. through essays and studies detailing the disadvantages of our country's low-income students. Back by quantitative data and expert analyses, "College Access" highlights the underlying problems while presenting opportunities for positive change. The authors, analysts of higher education and economic policy, discuss various models colleges can use to educate low-income students and argue that it is imperative to give these students full access to high cost colleges as well as low cost ones in order for the country to remain globally competitive. "Michael McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro have been joined by sixteen other scholars to produce an important and useful book that presents an integrated, data-rich view of the realities and issues regarding access to higher education in America. It considers three sweeping themes: the future of affirmative action in admissions, the financial and educational issues regarding college attendance by low-income students, and policy recommendations to improve college attendance by low-income level students. It is of great importance to policymakers and educational leaders."--Charles M. Vest, Professor and President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "Michael McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro have been joined by sixteen other scholars to produce an important and useful book that presents an integrated, data-rich view of the realities and issues regarding access to higher education in America. It considers three sweeping themes: the future of affirmative action in admissions, the financial and educational issues regarding college attendance by low-income students, and policy recommendations to improve college attendance by low-income level students. It is of great importance to policymakers and educational leaders."--Charles M. Vest, Professor and President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "This book shines important new light on the issue of economic inequality in postsecondary education in the United States. But of equal importance, it shows practical ways for effectively tackling this devastating national problem. I hope it will serve as a spur for us to build the coalition that is needed to bring real change."--Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education, and former Governor of West Virginia "Building on the contributions of the book "Excellence and Equity in American Higher Education," "College "takes an important next step toward achieving access to college for low-income students. It gives us a comprehensive and nuanced look at the institutional, political, and societal factors creating inequality in our higher education system. This is a great book and a valuable guide, not only for all those working to expand educational opportunity in this country, but for anyone interested in social science."--Lester Monts, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, University of Michigan "Michael McPherson and Morton Schapiro are uniquely positioned to shed light on the distressing and persistent inequalities in educational opportunity in the United States. They and the impressive group of co-authors provide invaluable background and insights into the barriers facing low- and moderate-income students. This book will strengthen the efforts of policymakers, higher education professionals, researchers, and student advocates whose partnership is required to develop constructive solutions to these pressing social problems."--Sandy Baum, Professor of Economics, Skidmore College