College: 2-year

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) identifies and reviews selected K-12 postsecondary education college access programs. Information on how the program works and under conditions and limitations on the research are discussed, and characteristics of effective programs based on the research is provided.

This retrospective study examined the effects of Talent Search on a cohort of students who participated in the program in one of three states (Florida, Indiana, and Texas) and were ninth graders from 1995-1996. Overall, the study found that Talent Search participants were more likely than a comparable control group to enroll in a public college or university, especially two-year institutions, in their state by the 1999-2000 school year. They were also more likely to apply for federal financial aid.

This report examines the research literature on credit-based transition programs: dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Tech Prep, and Middle College High Schools (MCHS). It includes the variation in implementation and summarizes findings from 21 research evaluations. Recommendations on future research are provided.

This policy brief released by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability at the Institute for Educational Leadership identifies five broad policy and practice areas critical to ensuring all students--and especially those with disabilities--are prepared to succeed in high school and in their post-secondary careers. The brief makes 14 recommendations spread across the five areas and provides suggestions on what organizations can support these recommendations.

This white paper from Jobs for the Future provides state-level policymakers with a framework for raising graduation rates in their states. The five commitments offered in this piece are: 1) A High School Diploma That Signifies College and Work-Readiness, 2) Pathways to High School Graduation and College for Overage, Undercredited, and Out-of-School Youth, 3) Turnaround of Low-performing High Schools, 4) Increased Emphasis on Graduation Rates and College-Readiness in Next Generation Accountability, and 5) Early and Continuous Support for Struggling Students.

This study examines the impact of the AVID model being implemented in ten high schools in five Texas districts, over a 4-year period. Each school and district was matched on student demographic variables, student enrollment patterns and accountability ratings.

Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Studies of 1988 and 2000, this follow-up study explores the characteristics of formal schooling that contribute to the completion of a bachelor’s degree by the time students reached their mid-20s. The rigor of students’ high school curriculum, particularly rigorous mathematics courses, continued to count more than any other precollegiate factor in determining degree completion. Results indicated that not all students have the same access to a rigorous curriculum.

Students who took Advanced Placement (AP) courses and passed the exams tended to have a higher probability of college graduation compared to students not participating in AP even after controlling for student’s 8th grade mathematics test score, free and reduced price lunch status, average test scores, and percent economically disadvantaged students in the student’s school. The percent of a school’s students who took and passed AP is the best AP-related predictor of the probability of students from that school to graduate from college.

This issue brief from the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) discusses the role that career and technical education (CTE) programs have in helping students successfully transition from secondary to postsecondary education. The authors begin by noting the statistics on students who make the transition from high school to college and those who actually complete a postsecondary degree.