This article discusses the evolution of college access and the potential consequences of continuing to define college access as initial enrollment. The process of reframing college access as an ongoing process, which may be challenging, is required, and higher education will benefit significantly as a result. The authors propose recommendations to…

Too few students are graduating from high school college and career-ready. For this dissertation, a qualitative design that included a data analysis was implemented to review a dual enrollment program and the impact of implementing various change ideas to increase enrollment of students in the program. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase…

A lack of access to a sequence of introductory to top-level curricula in rural schools has widened the achievement disparity between rural and urban students and influenced the number of college degree holders in rural areas. Recently, surging diversity and differentiation in income levels across nonurbanized areas can serve as determinants of the…

Community Colleges have an open-door policy that publicly states all are welcome but after acceptance, the student encounters the hidden locked door of placement testing. For some students, placement testing is the key that unlocks the door and provides them access to their path toward their academic journey. But for most students, placement…

This Education Leadership Portfolio (ELP) examines Delaware Technical Community College's new dual enrollment pilot program: the Dual Enrollment Corequisite High School Program (DUL/Coreq HS Program). As Delaware Tech offered too few specific college readiness supports for middle achieving students (MAS) in high school, a new initiative, the…

Access to the college readiness curriculum has become a civil rights issue. Social class continues to impact those underrepresented on college campuses. This dissertation study aims to gain foundational knowledge that can be used to take action by developing recommendations that support a culture in which students from an economically…

In this article, Jackson Toby discusses President Biden's proposal for free community college and substantial subsidies at public four-year colleges. Toby points out that if Biden means to require the beneficiaries to demonstrate that they have enough aptitude to graduate if they choose to study, the idea would be in the tradition of Thomas…

"Early Colleges as a Model for Schooling" advocates for early college high schools as an effective means of reducing academic, cultural, and financial obstacles to postsecondary education. This perceptive work evaluates, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impacts of early colleges--hybrids that blend elements of secondary and…

Before the process starts for African-American students to choose a higher education institution, the students are faced with challenges in high school and in the college search phase that either help or stunt their college preparedness, and therefore impact their college choice. The lack of access, knowledge, and readiness are all barriers that…

High schools are viewed by policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike as key institutions in facilitating access to college, especially for minoritized students from low-income families. A school-wide strategy for making college accessible is for high schools to establish a college-going culture that normalizes college attendance, elevates…

This study analyzed the strengths and areas for improvement in the resources and support provided to college access practitioners serving in urban charter and public-school communities. Prior research has examined the impact that college and career readiness resources and support have on students' postsecondary preparation and success. Limited…

Background/Context: Students classified as Long-Term English Learners (LTELs) are those who have not gained fluency in the English language, even after being enrolled in the U.S. K-12 educational system for five to seven years (Olsen, 2014). Although LTELs are not consistently tracked across states, we know they constitute a sizeable portion of…

The Partnership was established in 2015 when the Arbor Glen School District, Brook Heights Community College, and Remarkable Outcomes rallied around their common priorities of increasing college matriculation rates in their community. The Partnership created programming that promotes the preparation and transition of students into postsecondary…

Background: Despite historical efforts (Ellwood & Kane, 2000; Daun-Barnett, 2013; Perna, 2006; Kane, 1999), persisting inequities in higher education access underscore the need for innovative research approaches. Previous studies utilizing geospatial approaches often overlook critical dimensions like college readiness and financial aid while…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of community college administrators in Mississippi regarding the early college high schools located on their campuses. While the ECHS model has become prominent in several states, Mississippi's efforts to implement the model have yet to be fully examined. Six administrators from…