One of the stated goals of career and technical education (CTE) is to improve the labor market outcomes of participants. One population of students for which concentration CTE may be particularly beneficial is those who determine they will not pursue postsecondary education. By exploring how occupational concentration--defined as earning three or…

This article examines how sub-Saharan African families in the United States engage with high schools and the college-going process. Using qualitative methods and the concept of home-school dissonance, Chrystal A. George Mwangi shows how African immigrant families--one of the fastest-growing yet least-studied immigrant groups--develop educational…

In Bhutan half of the population is under the age of 25 (United Nations 2017) and strengthening the pathways of all young people, regardless of their background, is one of the priorities in the Bhutan Education Blueprint 2014-2024. This study examines the transitions from school of a sample of 895 young school completers from Western Bhutan in…

Most previous research on grammar schools has focused narrowly on eligibility for Free School Meals as a measure of disadvantage. But with 45% of pupils at grammar schools coming from families with below median incomes, a broader consideration of the impact of grammar schools on social mobility is necessary. The evidence suggests that grammar…

High school GPAs (HSGPAs) are often perceived to represent inconsistent levels of readiness for college across high schools, while test scores (e.g., ACT scores) are seen as comparable. This study tests those assumptions, examining variation across high schools of both HSGPAs and ACT scores as measures of academic readiness for college. We find…

The purpose of this study was to explore geographic mobility among university students in Peru and to understand how mobility patterns differ by region and by demographic indicators of inequality. The ways that students may be able to move geographically in order to access quality higher education within the educational system can be a driver of…

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federal program designed to promote college access and success for students from low-income backgrounds. Although some literature has examined K-12 outcomes, little research has explored the extent to which GEAR UP achieves its intended postsecondary objectives. The…

We draw on population-level administrative data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service to quantify the impact of for-profit college attendance on the employment and earnings of over one million students. Using a matched comparison group difference-in-differences design, we find that certificate-seeking students in…

This brief is the seventh in Baltimore Education Research Consortium's (BERC's) "Launching into Adulthood" series, which examines the trajectories of Baltimore graduates over six years. BERC established a partnership with Baltimore's Promise and the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) that has made it possible to examine both…

This chapter considers the role an academic residential learning community can play in helping new undergraduates examine their motives for attending college.

A mixed-method study is used to measure the effectiveness of specialized classroom guidance lessons designed for teen mothers to increase knowledge of higher education while also encouraging the empowerment of teen mothers to pursue higher education. Empowerment here is defined as the process of gaining control of one's circumstances in life.…

Despite increases in mixed-race students, post-secondary institutions have remained largely unresponsive in addressing key issues this growing demographic currently faces. Additionally, educational leadership preparation programs are failing to educate their graduates, future educational leaders, in manners that are racially and ethnically…

Fewer than 50% of all foster youth in the United States graduate from high school by the age of 18 and only 20% of those high school graduates attend college. There are many barriers that impact the college-going rates of foster youth. Past studies on college attendance among foster youth rarely look at college readiness experiences from the…

This study predicts Latina/o student attrition at two phases in the college-going pipeline. Findings suggest that academic achievement mediates Latina/o students' attrition from expectations to college application. Preparatory commitment behaviors mediate attrition from application to attendance. Results also indicate that Latina/o students…

Based on archival data from an urban school district, this retrospective correlational study examined the extent to which certain types of student-school counselor contacts, based on a student-report high school exit survey, could predict high school students' postsecondary enrollment in 2- and 4-year colleges within 5 years of graduating from…