Analysis of data from two national longitudinal studies focused on college application behaviors of different racial ethnic groups. Results show significant group differences in preparation behaviors, in number of colleges applied to, and in attendance at first-choice institution. Institutions are urged to evaluate the potential effects of policy…

The Postsecondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEO) allows 11th and 12th grade public school students to attend Minnesota postsecondary institutions at state expense. Students receive high school credit for courses successfully completed and may apply for postsecondary credit for the same courses when entering college after high school graduation.…

This document, the fourth in a series of student financial aid research reports, focuses on need analysis in student financial aid. Nearly all of the family contribution expected by the analysis of ability to pay is produced by family income, and the Congressional Methodology implemented for the 1988-89 academic year places even greater emphasis…

Student attrition at six South Carolina colleges was studied: three of the colleges were small, traditionally black, four-year private colleges, while three were mid-sized, public, four-year colleges, one of which was traditionally black. The sample of first-time freshmen consisted of 301 black males, 538 black females, 220 white males, and 319…

This study tested a causal model of student college predisposition that incorporated traditional measures of influences (parents' education, income, gender, parents' expectations, grades, school activities), as well as two additional influences (first-generation status and mentoring) identified in qualitative studies of pre-college through early…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, this report examines eighth grade school variables that might predict college attendance for students whose parents have no college education (n = 2,521). The selected school variables are amenable to public policy and/or skilled leadership, and they include "school structure" (e.g.,…

In this article, the authors looked at the effects of one old-style educational reform--higher course graduation requirements--and five standard-based reforms--(1) school report cards; (2) rewards for school improvement; (3) sanctions for failing schools; (4) minimum competency examinations; and (5) hybrid minimum competency exam…

A study was conducted at Golden West College (GWC) in California to analyze the relationship between first-time students' participation in the college's assessment and orientation programs and their fall-to-spring persistence at the college. The study sample consisted of fall 1991 students who had declared either transfer, degree, or certificate…

This book examines how individuals from low-income families in the United States are able to attend college. Part 1 focuses on the odds against a poor person attending college, looking at the reality of growing up poor in the United States and the odds against escaping such poverty. Part 2 examines how poor people beat such odds, presenting a…

This report examines high school dropout and college participation rates in Minnesota and their relationship to such socioeconomic factors as race, family income, and parental education. The analysis uses data provided by the Minnesota Department of Education, the Higher Education Coordinating Board, Minnesota Planning, the Census Bureau, and the…

In 1990, a study was conducted of 1,912 students receiving associate in arts or associate in science degrees the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) in spring 1989 to determine the length of time taken to graduate. Data for the study were gathered from spring 1989 graduates' district transcript records which contained enrollment dates…

Factors affecting access to postsecondary education for college-age youth were studied, with emphasis on personal characteristics and institutional policies that influence educational aspirations and postsecondary enrollments. Data were primarily derived from two databases: the High School and Beyond Study and the National Longitudinal Study of…

A research guide on student access to the Arizona University System, with studies of retention and persistence, is presented as one working paper in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness. Six topics of discussion, covering areas to be investigated, are as follows: academic…

Postgraduate education, employment, and attitudes of 1973 and 1983 graduates of the University of California, Davis, (UC Davis) were surveyed in 1984. Responses were received from 60% of 1983 bachelor's degree recipients and 48% of 1973 graduates. Findings include: one-third of baccalaureate degree holders enrolled immediately in a postgraduate…

The effects of postsecondary experiences on the development of young people's aspirations, attitudes, and self-conceptions during their first four years after high school were studied. Attention was directed to self-esteem; orientations toward work, family, and community; sex-role attitudes; educational expectations; career aspirations;…