Transition: High School to College

How ESSA Can Support College and Career Readiness for Students Experiencing Homelessness

Preparation for college and careers is increasingly important as success in today’s labor market requires students having postsecondary education and training as well as employability skills. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides various policy levers for states to support college and career readiness for youth experiencing homelessness.

College and Career Success Through Lifelong Learning Skills

At a time when rigorous content standards and evaluations of teacher and student performance are on the rise, it is especially pertinent and critical to ensure that teachers and education leaders attend to the foundation for learning and working. Education researchers have identified the components of that foundation as a collection of skills commonly referred to as Lifelong Learning Skills.

How Can States Increase Their College Attendance Rates?

The United States used to lead the world in adult postsecondary attainment, but has gradually slipped to 12th. To help the U.S. regain its former position as a world leader in adult postsecondary attainment rates, many states have set aggressive postsecondary completion or attainment goals over the past several years. To achieve these goals, states are adding a variety of ingredients into the recipe to get more youth and adults into and through postsecondary programs. But notably absent from the “cookbook” in most states are dedicated efforts to improve secondary students’ access to high-quality college counseling. A December, 2014 report from the Education Commission of the States (ECS) identifies state approaches that may not reap the hoped-for gains in college-going and highlights recent research pointing to new, successful approaches to increase college-going rates – and a few states implementing promising efforts.

Comprehensive College Readiness Series Overview: What Does It Mean to Be "Ready for College?"

Our Comprehensive College Readiness blog series explores the various skills and mindsets that students need to be ready for college. Author Julie Sweitzer, Director of the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota, provides recommendations for preparing middle and high school students for postsecondary education.

Reducing Summer Melt: Helping 12th Graders Successfully Transition to College

How many students have you or a colleague helped get into college with a good financial aid package only to discover later that they never enrolled? Unfortunately, every year, thousands of 12th graders finish high school excited about going to college, only to fall off track. This is especially common among those whose families have little to no experience navigating the final steps they must take to matriculate.

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