This paper summarizes the results of the empirical evaluation of the Outward Bound component of the 1987 Career Beginnings Program. Career Beginnings is a national, privately funded program designed to increase the probability that minority high school youth will either attend college or find good jobs following high school graduation. The Outward…

The Dillingham (Alaska) Foreign Study Program Evaluation covers 3 school years (1970-71 through 1972-73). The program was an innovative direction for rural education in expanding the students' (predominantly Native American) experience during their senior year in high school, and offering early entrance into college. The Center for Northern…

"R&D Alert" covers issues affecting schools in the Western Regional Educational Laboratory's four-state region--Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah--and throughout the United States. WestEd researchers and assistance providers have been focused on secondary education for many years. This issue of "R&D Alert" goes beyond describing the problem…

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federal program aimed at equalizing access to higher education for low-income students. GEAR UP, created in 1998, attempts to provide information and support to students beginning no later than seventh grade while promoting lasting partnerships among school districts,…

Successful efforts to improve minority college student retention are discussed, including programs to expand educational horizons and aspirations, college preparation programs for junior high school students, early orientation, minority-directed services, promotion of cultural diversity, and reorganization of financial aid packaging. (MSE)

Part of the third-largest school district in the nation, 77 percent of Chicago's nearly 427,000 public school students are poor, as defined by eligibility for participation in free or reduced-cost lunch programs. Many are members of minorities; many have limited proficiency in English. To make a successful transition to college--even to graduate…

The effectiveness of Upward Bound (UB), a federally funded program to assist high-ability disadvantaged youth in completing programs in higher education, is addressed in this study. The study sought to determine if participation in UB enhances high school performance and participation in postsecondary education, especially in comparison to non-UB…

This report presents data from published literature, surveys of state higher education executive officers and chief school officers, and information from foundations, government, and other agencies and organizations regarding access to higher education for under-represented youth. It maps the field of K-12 postsecondary education bridge program…

Evaluates the program's educational and administrative effectiveness and its strengths and weaknesses as perceived by 50 participants in the Towson State University (Maryland) program. Also includes recommendations for improving the generally effective program. (SB)

This article summarizes intervention activities and participant outcomes from a five-year federally funded project that prepared students with learning disabilities for transition to postsecondary education. Project participants demonstrated higher first-year postsecondary retention rates than the student population and gained skills in many…

What are ways to encourage minority students and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds to take and succeed in AP classes? Advanced Placement courses and their final national standardized exams began in 1954 to help students, mostly white males, get through college more quickly so that they would have more time in the work force. 50 years later,…

In this article, the author discusses AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a program that enrolls the students who are most frequently marginalized in rigorous classes to prepare them for postsecondary education. The best predictor of success or failure in postsecondary education is the intensity and quality of secondary school…

Case studies of six successful college-school collaborations designed to prepare high school students for college are presented. The programs studied were: (1) "Early Identification Program" at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; (2) "College Now" at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York; (3)…

The way that remediation affects the costs and the academic quality of higher education is discussed, and approaches to dealing with these problems are addressed. Recent increases in the number of underprepared students entering college have resulted in a greater need for remedial education to prepare them for college-level work. In addition to…

The Enrichment College Preparatory Program, an Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title VII bilingual demonstration project at a Manhattan, New York City, high school, completed the final year of a two-year funding cycle in June 1983. The program, which provided cultural enrichment and advanced academic experiences to 160 intellectually…