Share this pageraising achievement
Most experts agree, postsecondary education is becoming increasingly important. Individuals with more education are better able to compete for high-quality jobs and more likely to obtain jobs with better working conditions, benefits, and opportunities for advancement.
As a society,we must have an educated workforce to compete in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. Higher education contributes to lower crime rates, fewer unplanned pregnancies, lower unemployment rates, decreased burden on social services, and increased civic engagement.
A new documentary, Challenging Expectations, highlights many of the
interconnected issues that influence the ability of our youth to succeed,
especially those who are most vulnerable: low-income students, students
of color, and highly-mobile students. Here we take a look at some strategies
that are working.
Raising achievement: What works
Wilder Research has compiled evidence-based strategies from around the country that are successfully raising achievement among those students least likely to aspire to higher education.
Prepare students academically – A college preparatory
curriculum, especially rigorous math courses, is the most critical variable
for helping students gain access to and complete a postsecondary education.
Additional strategies include academic counseling, enrichment and remediation,personalized
learning environments, and teaching study skills.
Balance academic support with social support – Social
support is a predictor of college attendance and completion. Students
are more likely to plan to attend college if their friends also plan
to enroll, and strong social networks help support students’ academic
and emotional development. In addition to peer support, mentors play
a key supportive role.
Intervene early – It is critical to intervene
early, preferably before high school, in order to facilitate curriculum
planning.
Encourage parent/family involvement – Students
with parents who are knowledgeable about college are more likely to attend
college.
Help students navigate the college admissions process –
Helping students complete college applications and helping students prepare
for entrance exams are important predictors of enrollment.
Provide comprehensive, long-term support – The
programs that have the greatest impact tend to be those that offer comprehensive
services, are intensive, and require long term commitment.
Provide financial assistance – Students need adequate
financial resources in order to attend and complete college.
Encourage systemic reform – Most outreach programs are peripheral
and supplemental to the classroom, which may explain why outreach programs
tend to have little effect on students’ academic achievement. The
most effective programs offer long-term systemic services that are incorporated
as part of the regular school offerings, rather than short-term supplemental
programmatic services. Research has also shown that linking the secondary
and postsecondary educational systems – for example, by aligning
high school curricular requirements with college entry requirements – helps low-income and minority students succeed.
Links to program evaluations and reports highlighted in the
documentary:
The cost burden to Minnesota K-12 when children are unprepared for
kindergarten
Cargill Scholars
Admission Possible evaluation results
Other reports from Wilder Research on this topic:
Power of YOU program evaluation
The Power of YOU aims to increase college
enrollment and success of underrepresented students (e.g., low-income,
racial/ethnic minorities) who graduated from Minneapolis and Saint Paul
public high schools.
Ron Brown Scholar program evaluation
The Ron Brown Scholar Program provides academic scholarships, service opportunities,
and leadership experiences to exemplary young African Americans. The
Program’s mission is to accelerate the progress of African Americans
into the mainstream of leadership in business, education, government,
and a wide spectrum of professions, while instilling a strong dedication
to leadership and public service. This evaluation found that the program
had a major influence on Scholars’ goals and aspirations, motivation,
commitment to community service, educational opportunities, and pre-professional
and career opportunities.
Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative evaluation
This Initiative offers students from diverse, urban backgrounds a quality college
education and leadership development, with a goal of also providing colleges
with the diverse perspective the students bring to campus. The evaluation includes
a framework for return-on-investment.
Building a data-sharing network of scholarship programs
This report describes how to create a data-sharing network and presents
preliminary findings based on data collected in the pilot phase. Using
the network's data, researchers hope to find evidence to determine
which programs hold the most potential for helping young people from
foster care succeed in college.
For more resources on strategies that work, and how they are being implemented, visit the Education Ideas at Work and Library sections on this site.
challenging expectations
Students, educators and the states leading thinkers in this 60-minute program that explores barriers to education.
