Education Commons^™

Is The Early Promise Of Money Enough? Examining High School Students’ College Knowledge And Choice In A Promise Scholarship Program, Tangela Reavis

Journal of Student Financial Aid

This study is part of a randomized control trial examining the results of a promise scholarship program, the Degree Project (TDP). Half of the ninth graders in one Midwestern urban school district were notified about a $12,000 promise scholarship offer if they met certain GPA and attendance requirements (2.5 GPA and 90% attendance). This analysis draws on interview data to understand students’ financial knowledge over four years (grades 9-12). The study examined how treatment students (those who were offered the scholarship) and control students (those who were not offered the scholarship) explained and understood the methods they intended to use …

Fafsa And Beyond: How Advisers Manage Their Administrative Burden In The Financial Aid Process, Meredith S. Billings, Ashley B. Clayton, Rachel Worsham

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Access to financial aid is crucial in ensuring that students can afford college. Students must file the FAFSA to access federal financial aid and usually the FAFSA is also required for state and institutional aid (U.S. Department of Education, n.d). Prior research has shown, however, that the FAFSA is complicated and burdensome to complete and often acts as a barrier instead of an entry point to college (Bettinger et al., 2012; Bird & Castleman, 2016; Dynarski & Scott-Clayton, 2006, 2008; Dynarski et al., 2013). Given these barriers in accessing aid, some high schools employ college advisers or other school staff …

Structured Pathways, Reinforced Plans: Exploring The Impact Of A Dual Enrollment Program On The College Choice And Career Interests Of Future Teachers Of Color, Jennifer M. Johnson, Joseph H. Paris, Juliet D. Curci

Journal of College Access

In response to the critical shortage of a diverse teacher workforce, Temple Education Scholars is a “Grow Your Own" dual enrollment program model designed to promote access to postsecondary education and educator diversity. Grow Your Own programs have frequently been cited as a promising and potentially sustainable model for addressing the disparity between the racial identifications of students and those of their teachers. Using social cognitive career theory, we explore how three participants in the Temple Education Scholars program develop academic and career interests in teaching and make educational choices related to their career aspirations. Following case study analysis, we …

Book Review: Early Colleges As A Model For Schooling: Creating New Pathways For Access To Higher Education, Christopher W. Tremblay

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

Building Institutional Support For Undocumented And Daca-Eligible College Students In Michigan, John A. Vasquez, Alejandra Acosta, Rosario Torres, Melissa Hernandez

Journal of College Access

In 2017, the state of Michigan operated, and continues to operate, in an unstipulated policy environment related to undocumented students. There is no higher education commission or policy coordinating body in Michigan nor has the state legislature passed any legislation related to undocumented students or students who are DACA-eligible. Under this unstipulated policy environment, postsecondary institutions have the discretion to establish their own admissions policies and practices, including tuition and financial aid guidelines for undocumented students. Some institutions have stated their public support of these students through what they identify as inclusive and supportive institutional practices via their websites. However, …

Learning Experiences And College Access Of American Workers: Evidence From Piaac, Chang Sung Jang, Junghwan Kim, In Tak Kwon

Adult Education Research Conference

Using the U.S. data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), this study aims to explore how work-related learning experiences of working adults influence their sub-baccalaureate or baccalaureate degree-seeking in higher education institutions (HEIs). Given many jobs in the U.S. that require higher education credentials, we examined how formal and informal work-related learning experiences are associated with the college access of working adults who have a high school diploma. The multinomial logistic regression results show that work flexibility, distance learning, and private learning experience are positively related to working adults’ college access. Based on the findings, …

Can Information Widen Socioeconomic Gaps In Postsecondary Aspirations? How College Costs And Returns Affect Parents’ Preferences For Their Children, Albert Cheng, Michael Henderson, Paul E. Peterson, Martin R. West

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

To estimate whether information can close socioeconomic gaps in parents’ aspirations for their child’s postsecondary education, we administer a four-armed survey experiment to a nationally representative sample of U.S. parents. After respondents estimate costs of and returns to further education, we ask whether they prefer that their child pursue a four-year degree, a two-year degree, or no further education. Before this question is posed, the treated are first told:

(1) the net annual costs of pursuing a four-year and two-year degree in their state,

(2) the annual returns to four-year and two-year degrees as compared to no further education in …

Book Review: Courtrooms And Classrooms: A Legal History Of College Access, 1860-1960, Mark A. Addison

Journal of College Access

Issues of college access are increasingly met with resolutions within social and economic contexts. Models such as cost of production output, and race and socioeconomic-conscious strategies form the basis of such analyses (Jenkins & Rodriguez, 2013; Henriksen, 1995; Treager Huber, 2010; Schmidt, 2012). We can expect retooling and reinventing of such models with increasing college costs and changes in student demographics.

Exploring The Community Cultural Wealth Of Low-Income Collegians Of Color In Their Transition From High School To College, Lindsey B. Jakiel Diulus

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This narrative study explores the transition from high school to college for low-income students of color who participated in a college access mentoring program, the College Admissions Project (CAP) while in twelfth-grade. A community cultural wealth (CCW) lens guides this research and is used to examine student experiences. CAP alumni who enrolled in an institution of higher education in the fall semester immediately following their high school graduation are the participants in this study. A narrative approach to inquiry is used because the author is interested in the particular experiences of a few individuals. Specifically, the experiences of low-income students …

Arizona Uncertainty: Arbitrary Barriers In Accessing Institutional Need-Based Financial Aid, Dee Hill-Zuganelli, Nolan L. Cabrera, Jeffrey F. Milem

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Established in 2008, the Arizona Assurance Scholars Program (AASP) channeled institutional need-based aid to in-state, low-income students. Rapidly growing costs prompted three changes to the AASP eligibility requirements in 2011. We examined how these new requirements—a 3.0 or higher high school grade point average and the submission of the Free Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and admission paperwork by March 1—would affect the gender, racial, and socioeconomic composition of the program’s first three cohorts if they were in effect. Results revealed disproportionate impacts on racial and ethnic minorities and widened gender gaps. Male, Latina/o, and Native American students would …

Pre-College Sources Of Influence For Traditionally Underrepresented Students Attending College: A Social Network Analysis Approach, Rebekah Kester

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined a variety of sources of influence for traditionally underrepresented students at a primarily White institution of higher education. The sources of influence ranged from 2-way communications in high school to 2-way communications in the community, and from 1-way communication influences in the school such as AP courses, to 1-way communication influences outside of the school such as social media. The data were collected via an online survey distributed to first time in college freshmen in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. The survey results were analyzed using ANOVA and social network …

Guest Perspective: The Kresge Foundation, Caroline Altman Smith

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

Certifying Enrollment Management Professionals, Christopher W. Tremblay

Christopher W Tremblay, Ed.D

Most current professionals who serve in an enrollment management leadership capacity likely were trained “on the job,” or at professional development events, primarily because credit‐bearing credentials, degrees, and other formal programs were non‐existent (Phair, 2014). However, that landscape has since changed and now there are multiple ways for enrollment management professionals to receive a formal education to enhance one’s enrollment management skill set. This article is designed to introduce and review those current academic offerings that provide credibility to the field of enrollment management. The primary training categories include: college admissions counseling, enrollment management, financial aid/financial planning, and college access …

Peer Mentorship And Cultural Capital Among High School Students, Crescentia Fatima Thomas

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Peer mentorship and school connectedness was reviewed here through social capital and cultural capital lenses. The relationship has been interwoven to create an idea of how to shape an environment which can foster cohesiveness among students. Peer mentorship has been indicated as a significant contribution to cross-aged grade levels with the improvement in attendance, behavior, social activities, and school awareness—which are encompassed in the term, school connectedness. In regards to college access and college knowledge, peer mentorship here, assists with the transfer of social capital and cultural capital. Students were able to develop relationships and gain knowledge passed on from …

Coasp: College Outreach & Academic Support Program Study 2014, Terrell L. Strayhorn , Joseph A. Kitchen, Royel M. Johnson, Derrick L. Tillman-Kelly

Dr. Royel M. Johnson

Understanding The Role Of Post-Secondary Coaches In High Schools: A Social Capital Analysis, Lynne Haeffele

Theses and Dissertations

The research problem for this study was to understand the role of a new category of institutional agents, post-secondary coaches in high schools, who facilitate students' college readiness. This comparative case study focused on two post-secondary coaches in two high schools participating with a university in a state-funded grant project to improve college readiness. Data collection included structured interviews with coaches, students, and other school and external personnel; written descriptions by coaches of how they do their jobs; observations with field notes taken while shadowing coaches; and relevant documents, websites and artifacts. Data analysis involved both open coding and the …

The Locus Of Preparation And Privilege: College Choice And Social Reproduction, Daniel Allen

Dissertations

Despite the ostensible proposition of American higher education to create a level playing field and advance an individual's life opportunities, the history of access to higher education in the United States has demonstrated a lack of equality in enrollment patterns. This enrollment inequality appears most pronounced when considering family income and socioeconomic status. These differences are particularly notable when considering enrollment patterns of students who are academically qualified to succeed at a highly selective college or university, but who come from low income families. Such variations in enrollment at highly selective colleges and universities aligned with family income and not …