Since their inception in 1992, the number of charter schools has grown to more than 6,800 nationally, serving nearly three million students. Various studies have examined charter schools' impacts on test scores, and a few have begun to examine longer-term outcomes including graduation and college attendance. This paper is the first to estimate…

Increasing the rigor of courses taken in high school is a crucial part of education policy. However, existing knowledge about high school coursework is outdated. Using data from a recent nationally representative data set, this brief reports results that expand our knowledge base on the relationship between rigorous coursework and postsecondary…

In this article, we describe the campus visit we organized for Latina girls (grades 6-12) that participated in Somos Escritoras/We Are Writers. Somos Escritoras is a creative space that invites Latina girls to explore their lives and examine their worlds through art, writing, and theater. We focus on the writing marathon we designed for our visit…

In an era of heightened educational expectations, it can be difficult to discern why would-be first-generation college-going adolescents are less likely to enroll in college than non-first generation adolescents. This article draws from cultural sociology to interpret differences in the way that adolescents socially construct the transition into…

Parents, siblings, and peers have an immeasurable effect on shaping children into who they become as individuals. Many factors, such as one's relationships with these individuals, may have lasting effects on the educational and vocational outcomes of children who have multiple disabilities. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the…

This executive summary provides highlights from the full evaluation report (published separately). The report presents a baseline description of outcomes for the 2017-2018 school year, the first year of GEAR UP Austin implementation in AISD. Specifically, the report describes program implementation, student participation in GEAR UP Austin, and…

In 1960, over 60 % of bachelor degrees were awarded to men. However, the rate of women's college completion has steadily risen and, by 2004, women received nearly 60 % of bachelor degrees. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of James Coleman, this paper examines the ability of social capital to explain observed differences in college…

This study examines low-income schools that were successful in OnRamps, an innovative dual enrollment program created by The University of Texas at Austin. The program has enrolled over 20,000 students since its inception in 2011 and partnered with more than 70 school districts across Texas in 2017-18. Participation in dual enrollment and dual…

The foster youth education program strives to increase graduation rates by improving academic performance and encouraging student retention through an innovative collaboration between tutors, social workers, and schools to provide individualized support. The pilot program was funded by U.S. Department of Education Innovation Funds, which evolving…

This study examined the performance, demographics, and contextual factors of students taking the ACT® test with accommodations compared to students taking the ACT without accommodations. We examined the prevalence of accommodations provided and disability categories as well as performance by disability type. We also examined demographic…

While the national high school graduation rates for culturally and linguistically diverse students have increased in the last five years, less than half of these students transition from high school to postsecondary settings. In this article we share the lessons learned from nearly a decade of college access and career readiness efforts by a…

Low-income students, many of whom reside in urban environments, often lack the support they need to prepare for postsecondary education, identify the best fit schools, apply for financial aid, enroll and persist in their studies, and, ultimately, graduate with a degree. Since 2014, a university school counseling department and a New York City high…

Understanding the challenges of Latino undocumented students in high school is crucial to improving their success rates in college. Based on interviews with 60 Latino undocumented youths, I explore the barriers to proper educational guidance for this population. Results indicate that undocumented youths often lack accurate information about…

In this study, I use multilevel modeling and multivariate matching to estimate the effect of suspension on college attendance. I build upon existing research that has suggested a negative relationship between school suspension and educational outcomes but that has mostly not been able to control for pre-existing differences in academic achievement…

Although strides have been made in the past 10 years and Latino male college enrollment has increased by 75 percent, they still lag behind their peers in both enrollment and completion. This brief provides a summary of Latino males in postsecondary education and examples of programs increasing Latino males' success.