Barriers to College Attainment: Lessons from Chicago,
Consortium on Chicago School Research and Center for American Progress
While college enrollment numbers continue to rise, and more low-income minority and first generation students are pursuing postsecondary education, college completion numbers remain stagnant. This report from the Consortium on Chicago School Research and Center for American Progress focuses on contributing factors to higher college completion rates summarizes a massive study and presents recommendations to attain the stated goals. The report includes detailed analysis of school data and suggests data collection can inform improvements to high school curricula and increase guidance and support throughout high school and the college process.
Removing Roadblocks to Rigor: Linking Academic and Social Supports to Ensure College Readiness and Success, Institute for Higher Education Policy's Pathways to College Network
Education reform focuses strongly on the strength of the curriculum and challenging course loads for all students. While academic rigor is very important, a comprehensive academic and social foundation is necessary to support and enable students to be successful. This report by the Pathways to College Network examines five interdependent categories of support—emotional, instrumental, informational, appraisal, and structural—provided to students by their teachers, counselors and administrators that help students to develop the necessary skills and strategies to succeed in secondary and postsecondary institutions.
Increasing College Access through School-Based Models of Postsecondary Preparation, Planning, and Support, Educators for Social Responsibility
Urban, minority, and low-income students attend and graduate college in dismal rates when compared to suburban, white, and middle or upper class students. This report unpacks some of the contributing factors, and provides strategies, models, and recommendations to address and improve the situation. Increasing access to postsecondary education for all students requires a concerted and multilateral effort, focusing not only on individual school practices, but district- and nation-wide policies as well.