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.

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

Get Book Here

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.

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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Book Description


Increasing Access to College

Increasing Access to College PDF Author: William G. Tierney
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 0791488659
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
At a time when college enrollment rates for low income and under-represented students are far below those of non-minority students, policies and practices designed to increase access should be a priority for colleges, universities, high schools, and community agencies. Increasing Access to College examines pre-college enrichment programs that offer a specific and immediate remedy.

The First Steps in the Journey

The First Steps in the Journey PDF Author: Beth Ervin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781339825571
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In fall 2013, California Community Colleges began to implement changes to the enrollment, or onboarding, process. These changes created a college enrollment process in which applicants to the state's community colleges complete several steps designed to create a foundation for student success, including orientation, assessment/placement, and academic counseling before enrolling in classes. Community colleges function as an accessible gateway to higher education, particularly for first generation, low-income students; however, concerns about the impact an increasingly complex community college enrollment process may have on vulnerable populations like first generation, low-income applicants prompted this study. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the persistence patterns of first generation, low-income applicants through the California Community College enrollment process as implemented by Sierra College, a community college in Rocklin, California. This study also examined the assets and liabilities that either assisted or impeded these applicants' transition through this enrollment process. To describe these persistence patterns, four cohorts of first generation, low-income, first-time student applicants from fall 2013 through spring 2015 were identified and their rates of persistence through each of the four stages of the enrollment process were analyzed. This analysis showed a loss of applicants at each stage of the process and an overall rate of persistence for first generation, low-income first-time student applicants that is consistent with the rate of persistence for all applicants to Sierra College in the same enrollment cycle. The data also show a significantly lower rate of persistence in some cohorts in some stages for female applicants as compared to males, and for African American applicants as compared to non-African American applicants. In addition, six first-generation, low-income applicants in the fall 2015 cohort were interviewed for this study. These interviews allow for a discussion of the assets that these applicants capitalized upon to aid them as they navigated the Sierra College enrollment process; it also showed the challenges, or liabilities, that impeded these applicants' transition to college. Study findings reflect the literature that shows the importance of strengthening the support provided by a first-generation, low-income applicant's social, familial, and institutional support network. For example, summer melt research findings show the positive impacts of high school, college, and community support on persistence rates and applicants' experience of the transition to college (Castleman & Page, 2014b). Findings from this study show the potential opportunities to improve applicant persistence and to improve the first-generation, low-income applicant's experience of the enrollment process through effective connection to and increased support from institutional resources.

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.

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.

College Access and Affordability

College Access and Affordability PDF Author: Susan P. Choy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College costs
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description


The State of College Access and Completion

The State of College Access and Completion PDF Author: Laura W. Perna
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135106703
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
Despite decades of substantial investments by the federal government, state governments, colleges and universities, and private foundations, students from low-income families as well as racial and ethnic minority groups continue to have substantially lower levels of postsecondary educational attainment than individuals from other groups. The State of College Access and Completion draws together leading researchers nationwide to summarize the state of college access and success and to provide recommendations for how institutional leaders and policymakers can effectively improve the entire spectrum of college access and completion. Springboarding from a seminar series organized by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, chapter authors explore what is known and not known from existing research about how to improve student success. This much-needed book calls explicit attention to the state of college access and success not only for traditional college-age students, but also for the substantial and growing number of "nontraditional" students. Describing trends in various outcomes along the pathway from college access to completion, this volume documents persisting gaps in outcomes based on students’ demographic characteristics and offers recommendations for strategies to raise student attainment. Graduate students, scholars, and researchers in higher education will find The State of College Access and Completion to be an important and timely resource.

Summer Melt

Summer Melt PDF Author: Benjamin L. Castleman
Publisher: Harvard Education Press
ISBN: 1612507433
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Under increasing pressure to raise graduation rates and ensure that students leave high school college- and career-ready, many school and district leaders may believe that, when students graduate with college acceptances in hand, their work is done. But as Benjamin L. Castleman and Lindsay C. Page show, summer can be a time of significant attrition among college-intending seniors—especially those from low-income families. Anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of students presumed to be headed to college fail to matriculate at any postsecondary institution in the fall following high school. Summer Melt explores the complex factors that contribute to this trend—the absence of school support, confusion over paperwork, lack of parental guidance, and the teenage tendency to procrastinate. The authors draw on findings from fields such as neuroscience, behavioral economics, and social psychology to contextualize these factors. Drawing on a series of research studies, they show how schools and districts can develop effective, low-cost, scalable responses—including counselor outreach, peer mentoring, and using text messages and social media—to help students stay on track over the summer. Summer Melt offers very practical guidance for schools and districts committed to helping their students make the transition to college.

Keeping College Affordable

Keeping College Affordable PDF Author: Michael S. McPherson
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 9780815716693
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
As Congress debates the reauthorization of the basic federal student aid legislation, and as governors and state legislators cope with increasingly severe budgetary problems of their own, the issues of preserving college opportunity and sharing the burden of college costs are particularly critical and timely. This book assesses the role of government subsidies for higher education—especially but not exclusively federal student aid—in keeping college affordable for Americans of all economic and social backgrounds. The authors examine the effects of student aid policies of the last twenty years. They address several vital questions, including: Has federal student aid encouraged the enrollment and broadened the educational choices of disadvantaged students? Has it made higher education institutions more secure and educationally more effective—or has it raised costs and prices as schools try to capture additional aid? Has federal student aid made the distribution of higher education's benefits, and the sharing of costs, fairer? And what are the likely trends in patterns of college affordability? Drawing on their analysis, the authors highlight some of the principal dimensions of policy choice on which the debate has focused, as well as some that have been relatively neglected. Building upon their conclusion that student aid works, they propose reforms that would bolster the role of income-tested aid in the overall student financing picture. McPherson and Schapiro recommend a number of incremental reforms that could improve the effectiveness of existing federal aid programs and present a proposal to replace a substantial fraction of state-operating subsidies to colleges and universities with expanded federal aid.