The primary audience for this book is first-generation college students. Whether they are in two-year or four-year colleges, I give the readers an example of the power of a parent's dream, the positive and negative outcomes of a student's hard work, the stuff caring teachers and supportive school administrators are made of, and the significance of…

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the U.S. education system in spring 2020, another persistent, pernicious pathogen had long plagued American society: inequitable educational outcomes on the basis of income, race, and ethnicity. This is especially true for postsecondary access and attainment. Research shows the benefits of postsecondary…

Presented at the AP Annual Conference (APAC) in Las Vegas, NV in July 2013. This analysis takes a close look at first-generation Advanced Placement® (AP®) test takers to better understand the needs and challenges they face on their path to college. The analysis focuses on college-bound AP test takers who also took the SAT and examines a variety of…

The purpose of this study is to examine the academic achievement, academic self-concepts, and aspirations of gifted college students who are enrolled in an honors program and of gifted college students who are not enrolled in an honors program. Participants include 294 gifted college students, 248 of whom were enrolled in an honors program and 46…

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of locus of control on African American high school seniors' educational aspirations. Controlling for family, student, and school characteristics, the results of the study suggest that African American high school seniors who reported higher levels of locus of control were more likely…

This digest addresses the special needs of gifted urban minority students in the selection of postsecondary career and educational options. Noted is the frequent lack of family encouragement in this population toward higher education and career achievement. Suggestions are offered for teachers, students, counselors, administrators, and parents.…

This vocational guidance model is designed to help new rural counselors, itinerant counselors, or teacher/advisors provide rural Alaskan high school seniors with a series of career and vocational experiences designed to facilitate the transition from high school to a job or to postsecondary training. The model is organized in four phases. In the…

The way that academic advisers, counselors, faculty, and administrators can help undecided college students set and implement educational and career goals is described. The focus is a developmental advising approach and career development concepts. Origins of indecision, categories of undecided students, and model programs for counseling and…