Rapid tuition increases over the last few decades have made public institutions much less affordable than they once were. This and other policy changes may be affecting college enrollment rates across the country. This article examines how student preparation and college supply interact with the usual factors of tuition, financial aid, and family…

This report examines the readiness of Latino (Hispanic descent) high school students for college-level academic work based on their reading comprehension and verbal reasoning skills. Pertinent college admissions test data and educational survey data are reviewed, and findings are discussed from a variety of research fields that sharpen the…

This report presents data on the plans and expectations, preparation and course-taking patterns, college enrollment rates, and college persistence and completion of minorities in comparison with the majority, white population. The data reported show the following: (1) that while almost all high school seniors expect to complete at least some…

This study examined the progress of nine collaborative student academic development programs in California which focused on improving the preparation of secondary school students for college and university study. The programs were selected for inclusion on the basis of commonalities along the following dimensions: a goal of increasing the number…

Our schools are environments of race and class and these school environments structure opportunity based on race and class. This paper explores how students' lives and their access to postsecondary education are framed and structured by the influences of race and class. The college choice decision process of three female Black students from a…

This practicum paper sets out a leadership development action plan (LDAP) at Mount Vernon Nazarene College (MVNC) in Ohio intended to help the director of retention and academic services in efforts to improve preparedness and readiness levels of prospective students at the school, a church-related coeducational college of arts and science. The…

This document reviews elementary and secondary education reform movements in California in relation to student preparation for higher education, particularly whether movements now underway are substantive and convincing. The report reviews the national context for educational reform and California's role in that movement. Discussion of reforms in…

This report provides a comprehensive portrait of educationally disadvantaged college aspirants, focusing on three important factors that hinder access to and success in postsecondary education. These factors--welfare participation, first-generation college student status, and parental divorce--exacerbate the obstacles that continue to confront…

The 1988-89 California state budget provided funding to support the development of pilot programs extending high school-community college career articulated programs to the baccalaureate level. By 1990-91, 24 of these "2 + 2 + 2" programs had been funded, including 14 projects in career education, 8 in teacher education, and 2 in home…

In 1984 the Governor of California signed into law a bill establishing the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP), a program to develop cooperative efforts to improve the academic quality of public secondary schools and the preparation of all students for college. CAPP grants are awarded to collaborating secondary and postsecondary…

As a college degree becomes increasingly important for individuals seeking employment, the numbers of first-generation students continues to grow. With the first-generation student pool comprised largely of members of working class families, ethnic minorities, women, and or adults, community colleges have always viewed first-generation students as…

Some of the ways in which colleges can work with high schools to enrich secondary school experiences and increase access to and success in higher education, are described, and an essay on successful cooperative activities is presented. In "Pieces and Parts," James Herbert notes efforts to improve the preparation of students for college…

The preparation of high school students for the transition from secondary to postsecondary education is discussed by an official of the Chicago public schools. It is suggested that access to postsecondary education should not be linked solely to test scores without regard to achievement within the child's environment. Recent statistics show that…

Statistics on the educational status of Hispanic Americans are provided in this booklet. Primary focus is placed on participation in elementary and secondary schools, and on the factors that prevent school completion and access to higher education. High dropout rates, frequent below-grade-level enrollment, and an intensification of these problems…

In an effort to achieve ethnic parity for underrepresented minorities at the University of New Mexico College of Engineering, precollege and undergraduate programs were developed to recruit and retain Hispanic and American Indian students. The Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program is a coherent, longitudinal program organized…