Preparing High School Students for College - ERIC - U.S. ...

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implementation. For example, having dedicated staff who manage programs and have apresence in the high schools appears to be important.The Role of ChampionMany partnerships had one or more individuals who had a deep interest in theirsuccess and were considered by others as their champion(s). It was clear that their energyand vision was driving much of these partnerships’ vision and activities.Funding, Policy, and PartnershipsAmong the partnerships we visited, both funding and policy mandates clearlyinfluenced the intensity and focus of partnerships. While those interviewed talked of manyreasons to work together, policy changes (e.g., Closing the Gaps by 2015) or fundingavailability (e.g., College Connections funds from the state) influenced the extent to whichcollaboration actually occurred.Potential BenefitsDepending on a range of contextual factors, a number of benefits may be associatedwith the formation and sustainability of college readiness partnerships, including:optimization of efforts to improve student outcomes, i.e., improvementsin effectiveness and efficiency;additional opportunities for college student recruitment;alignment of academic standards and assessment, which reduces the gapbetween high school graduation requirements and college expectations;sharing of best practices across institutions;cross-system faculty development; andopportunities for additional ongoing, mutually beneficial initiatives andactions.Barriers and ChallengesWhile there may be many reasons to develop college readiness partnerships, certainconditions make it difficult to do so, including:ES-6
lack of funding streams that reward collaborative efforts between collegesand high schools;lack of financial and other resources for new interventions; differences in the cultural norms and priorities of higher education and K-12 systems; andcomplex patterns of student progression that occur when students from agiven high school go to multiple colleges and universities, which make itmore difficult to customize programs to prepare students for college.Implications and ReflectionsImplications for Future ResearchAlthough few rigorous evaluations of college readiness partnership programs havebeen conducted, both the literature and our research findings generally support theirpotential to improve college readiness for students in the “academic middle,” who are likelyto graduate high school intending to go to college but are at risk of being placed indevelopmental education courses. Strong, collaborative partnerships between K-12 andpostsecondary institutions can be challenging to maintain, given the structure of oureducational system and the current state of the economy, but these partnerships appear tooffer advantages in creating programs that can help alleviate gaps in students’ collegereadiness. Our work suggests the need for more rigorous effectiveness trials of current andfuture programs for these students as well as studies of their costs and benefits. Programleaders, college and high school administrators, and policymakers would benefit from moreextensive and higher quality information on which of these programs have the greatestimpact given different levels of investment.Implications for College Readiness Partnership ProgramsOur research suggests that those seeking to implement college readiness partnershipprograms should consider the following points:Choosing interventions that show the greatest promise in a given contextcan enhance the chances of success. This selection should reflect currentresearch on effective practice.Many programs, especially those that are intensive, can only serve limitednumbers of students. Institutions may want to match college-goingES-7
Page 1: Preparing High SchoolStudents for C
Page 4 and 5: The National Center for Postseconda
Page 7 and 8: ContentsOverviewList of ExhibitsPre
Page 9: List of ExhibitsTable3.1 Number of
Page 13 and 14: AcknowledgmentsThe authors of this
Page 15 and 16: Executive SummaryIn his 2009 State
Page 17 and 18: Summer bridge programs, generally o
Page 19: Figure ES.1College Readiness Partne
Page 23 and 24: Chapter 1IntroductionIn his 2009 St
Page 25 and 26: partnerships formed by K-12 school
Page 27 and 28: There is some evidence in the liter
Page 29 and 30: In addition, the Texas legislature
Page 31 and 32: Chapter 2Research Design and Method
Page 33: The goal of the site visits was to
Page 36 and 37: Program CategoryTexas College Readi
Page 38 and 39: Key Characteristics of State and Lo
Page 40 and 41: equired by state law, 8 and incorpo
Page 42 and 43: ensure that every high school senio
Page 44 and 45: the summer. Staff members at some o
Page 46 and 47: these situations, a community-based
Page 48 and 49: easons to work together, policy cha
Page 50 and 51: Lack of Incentives for Community Co
Page 52 and 53: Implications for College Readiness
Page 54 and 55: programming and create a more cost-
Page 57 and 58: This appendix includes a short desc
Page 59 and 60: Length/duration: Approximately 20 s
Page 61 and 62: campus resources (including the lib
Page 63 and 64: College Connection Advisors Program
Page 65 and 66: Length/duration: The program runs f
Page 67 and 68: their personal online portfolios, w
Page 69 and 70: program are that at least 80 percen
Page 71:
Appendix BScan Summary of LocalColl
Page 74 and 75:
Appendix Table B.1 (continued)Progr
Page 76 and 77:
Appendix Table B.1 (continued)Progr
Page 79 and 80:
ReferencesAchieve, Inc. (2006). Clo
Page 81 and 82:
Kirst, M., & Venezia, A. (2001). Br
Page 83:
Texas Higher Education Coordinating
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