Focused on how the high school preparation of first-generation students (i.e., students whose parents did not attend college) related to these students' performance and persistence at 4-year colleges. Compared these students with their peers whose parents graduated from college. Parents' levels of education were associated with student retention…

Research in status attainment has shown that whether or not a student is enrolled in a high school college preparation curriculum has important consequences for his educational attainment. Vocational education literature suggests that differences between non-college tracks can also result in differential educational attainments for high school…

The "Access to Democracy" project has two broad goals. It is an effort to understand community beliefs, attitudes and conditions that shape educational outcomes for community youth, and it is a way to focus community discussions on efforts that support higher educational attainment for residents. This report focuses on the lessons…

The release of the first Student Outcomes and Achievement Report (SOAR) in 1994 by the Maryland Higher Education Commission revealed the degree to which the graduates of the state's high schools required remediation in higher education. SOAR suggested that at least one-half of all Maryland high school graduates entering the state's colleges and…

This digest discusses the current educational status of Latino students, using data from "Latinos in Education," a report by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Latino preschoolers are less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education programs than other preschoolers. Latino preschooler…

The transition from secondary to postsecondary science courses is characterized by low student retention rates. Student difficulties may be related to an incongruity between secondary student preparation and postsecondary faculty requirements. The purpose of this study was to learn how well matched secondary and postsecondary teacher assumptions…

The numbers are astonishing and unfortunately all too familiar--while four in five high school students expect to complete a college degree, fewer than a third will actually emerge from the high-school-to-college pipeline with a baccalaureate six years after high school graduation. A growing number of parents see a college degree as absolutely…

This digest addresses factors that may influence college completion and academic success for Hispanic students, particularly Mexican American students, enrolled in community college and four-year institutions. Recent research suggests that institutional practices in high schools have much to do with the low postsecondary participation rates of…

A study of 410 Mexican American and European American high school students, with follow-up of graduating seniors the following year, found that acculturation among Mexican American youth was not related to aspirations or planning for college but did predict future college attendance. Among both ethnic groups, fathers' education influenced…

Georgia's P-16 Initiative is a strategy to address low aspirations/underpreparedness of students in Georgia's public education systems. Lessons learned from statewide, local, and university partnerships have led to strategies that promise to improve and sustain student success at all levels. Focus is on closing the gap between what children are…

Like previous reports, the seventh annual "Performance Report for Ohio's Colleges and Universities" uses a variety of data and data sources to describe higher education in Ohio, from student academic preparation to learning environments, student progress, degree achievement, and licensure/employment outcomes. The report also provides…

Describes general trends in the quality of rural education: equivalent rural and urban performance on national standardized tests and high school graduation rates but continuing rural deficits in college attendance and teacher qualifications. Discusses the below-average performance of southern rural schools, factors affecting rural students'…

This paper provides an overview of demographic and educational attainment data on Latinos in Ventura County, California, and describes an ongoing initiative to increase Latino college attendance through improved K-12 preparation and family involvement. In both its urban and rural areas, Ventura County harbors large Latino populations who are…

This paper examines and refutes the hypothesis that white, male, middle class college students are falling behind their female peers in higher education. After an introduction, the paper focuses on gender gaps in the educational pipeline, discussing several indicators that could be used to measure educational attainment. These include high school…

This research note describes data on college persistence, educational attainment, and remediation, and explains the difficulty in interpreting this data.