Short, preparatory 'foundation year' courses have exploded in popularity in recent years, but they have drawn criticism from policymakers. Like Access diplomas, they serve to support people from all backgrounds to enter higher education. This HEPI Report asks whether foundation years are effective tools for widening access -- or whether, when it…

Mexican Americans have been native to the United States for centuries, but their educational attainment numbers reflect an achievement gap. This has led to increased poverty levels, low social capital, and low quality of benefits. One way to increase social mobility for a racial group is by increasing the number of bachelor's degree holders.…

"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…

In 2009, President Barack Obama challenged U.S. citizens to complete more schooling and earn a college degree. His goal was to increase the proportion of the population with a college credential and the United States' associated rank in the world from 12th to first by 2020 (Field, 2015; Obama, 2009). In response to this challenge, several…

Mathematics preparatory workshops were offered to college students at a diverse urban undergraduate institution. The goal was to prepare students for their mathematics course, by offering non-credit bearing and free preparatory workshops. The lack of adequate preparation for mathematics courses is a barrier for student engagement in future STEM…

Purpose: Schoolwide college access programs are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in high schools across the country. Research on their effectiveness in improving college-going rates is inconclusive, prompting scholars to question how programs affect practices in schools. To better understand how schools and college access programs work in…

Immersive scheduling engages students in one or two subjects at a time over short teaching periods. While there is incipient evidence that immersive delivery can heighten academic outcomes in undergraduate education, much less is known about its effectiveness in pathways or access programs. This exploratory mixed-methods study investigated how a…

This study aimed to understand the transition experiences of first-generation Latinx undergraduate students and their families from high school to a highly selective private university after participating in a college access program. Additionally, this study sought to understand the different forms of cultural capital that may have supported the…

This study focused on understanding how "familismo," rurality, schooling experiences, and racial identity affect the postsecondary education journey of rural Latina/o/x students in the Southwest. Furthermore, the dynamic regarding Latina/o/x college access and opportunity was introduced with an emphasis placed on minoritized experiences…

This qualitative study focused on examining the roles and experiences of high school counselors supporting students experiencing homelessness in their college preparation. To be included in the study, participants needed to have experience working with high school students experiencing homelessness. Findings indicated that the participants…

The Advanced Placement (AP) program is widely offered in American high schools and has been touted as a way to close racial and socioeconomic gaps in educational outcomes. Using administrative data from Michigan, I exploit variation within high schools across time in AP course offerings to identify the relationship between AP course availability,…

While many policy makers attempt to close the educational divide, precollege programs have the ability to creating a college going culture and develop college aspirations throughout the entire K-12 pipeline. Exposure to college culture and the college system grants students opportunities to develop college aspirations, skills, confidence, and…

This paper highlights Latinx youth's community engagement and activist identities during their participation in CHANCE ("Campamento Hispano Abriendo Nuestro Camino a la Educación"), a college access program at UNC Greensboro. We examined Latinx youth's activist identities using critical qualitative inquiry. Findings reveal collective…

There are more than 2,500 pre-college preparation and college access programs in the United States designed to increase postsecondary enrollment and degree obtainment rates for historically underrepresented college students, including low-income and Students of Color. Less known is how these programs address the social, emotional, and well-being…

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…