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Starting Early, Staying on Track: A Chronological Review of Critical Steps Along the Path to College

Starting Early, Staying on Track: A Chronological Review of Critical Steps Along the Path to College. Alberto F. Cabrera Professor Erin Ward Bibo Doctoral Student Department of Educational Leadership, Higher Education, & International Education University of Maryland.

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Starting Early, Staying on Track: A Chronological Review of Critical Steps Along the Path to College

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  1. Starting Early, Staying on Track: A Chronological Review of Critical Steps Along the Path to College Alberto F. Cabrera Professor Erin Ward Bibo Doctoral Student Department of Educational Leadership, Higher Education, & International Education University of Maryland

  2. Path To College is a Longitudinal Process Predisposition & choices Collegiate Experiences & Behaviors Outcomes Family Encouragement & Involvement Academic Integration Competencies Graduate School Employment & Income Preparation for College Social Integration Satisfaction & Commitment K-16 Communication & Engagement Job Performance Facilities & Services Persistence Transfer Stop-out Aspirations & Plans Job Satisfaction Climate & Diversity Degree Completion Awareness of College Characteristics, Admission Standards, & Costs Loan Repayment Financial Aid Mix

  3. College Choice Process for 1000 Lowest SES Students College Qualifications High School Graduation 4-year College Applications Institution Type of First Enrollment 70 Applied to 4-year Institution 477 Graduated 714 Not Qualified 237 Did Not Graduate 407 Did Not Apply 46 Applied to 4-year Institution 132 Graduated 1000 8th Graders in 1988 134 Minimally Qualified 86 Did Not Apply 2 Did Not Graduate 99 Applied to 4-year Institution 151 Graduated 151 Qualified 52 Did Not Apply 0 Did Not Graduate Cabrera& La Nasa (2000). Understanding the college choice process. Jossey Bass

  4. A Case for Starting Early • Preparation for college begins as early as the 7th grade (Cabrera & LaNasa, 2000 ; Hossler, Schmit & Vesper, 1999) • Preparation for college is the result of a complex process marked by plans and expectations, curriculum choices, taking pre-college & college admission tests, applying for college, enrolling and succeeding in college (Adelman, 1999, 2006; Bowen, Chingos & McPherson, 2009; Cabrera & LaNasa, 2001; Cabrera, Burkum & LaNasa, 2005) • While 80% of 8th graders expressed an intent to attend college, only 47% of high school graduates enroll in college (NCES,2010 ; Wimberly & Noeth, 2005) • What happens over this five-year period to create such a stark difference between aspiration and outcomes? • Students who particularly struggle through the transition to ninth grade are more likely to drop out of high school (Grossman & Cooney, 2009)

  5. Why Focus on Low-Income Students? • Poorest 8th grade students are more likely to be exposed to at-risk factors including: • History of high school dropouts in family • Raised by a single parent • Changing schools more than twice • Low-income students are more likely to drop out of high school than their peers (Cabrera & LaNasa, 2001; Cabrera, Burkum & LaNasa, 2005) • 77% of poorest 8th graders have parents unfamiliar with college (Cabrera & LaNasa, 2001; Cabrera et al., 2005) • Only 15% of low-income 8th graders are college-qualified by the end of high school (Cabrera & LaNasa, 2001) • 61% of low-income high school graduates start at community college, irrespective of their college qualifications (Cabrera & LaNasa, 2001; Cabrera et al., 2005) • Poorest students' baccalaureate degree completion rate lags nearly 44% behind that of their upper-SES counterparts (Cabrera et al., 2005)

  6. Why Focus on Latino/a Students? • By 2020, Latinos will comprise 25% of the US school-age population (Pew Foundation,2005) • 98% increase from 2005 • Latino parents are less likely to have attended college than African American or White parents (Swail, Cabrera, Lee & Williams, 2004; Swail, Cabrera & Lee, 2005) • 27.7% of Latino/a 8th graders are college-qualified by the 12th grade (Swail et al., 2004, 2005) • Compared to 47.4% of White 8th graders • Latino students are 8 percentage points more likely to enroll in a 2-year institution than their White peers (Swail et al., 2004, 2005) • 23.2% of Latino/a postsecondary students graduate with a four-year degree within 10 years of leaving high school (Swail et al, 2004, 2005) • Compared to 47.3% of White postsecondary students

  7. Critical Steps Along the Path to College Establishing Career & Educational Attainment Goals Taking & Succeeding in College Preparatory Coursework Learning about Postsecondary Options Taking Pre-College & College Entrance Exams Graduating High School Applying to College Enrolling in College Successfully Transferring to a 4-year institution (among community college students) Successfully Completing a Baccalaureate Degree

  8. Critical Steps Along the Path to College: Achieving Each Task

  9. Critical Steps Along the Path to College: Achieving Each Task

  10. Critical Steps Along the Path to College: Achieving Each Task

  11. What matters most for the attainment of a bachelors’ degree among Latina/o students?

  12. The role of planning & parental expectations for Latino middle school students

  13. The role of academic preparation

  14. Postsecondary experiences: Performance in college

  15. In Conclusion… Latino students are much more likely to earn a BA or higher if they: • are supported by their families in the pursuit of a postsecondary education • create a plan by the eighth grade • take three years of mathematics or more • start at a four-year institution • maintain continuous enrollment • Earn a GPA of 2.50 or above

  16. Elementary Schools Middle Schools Two-Year Institutions Four-Year Institutions Business organizations Community organizations PTAs GEAR-UP TRIO Intervention strategies need to be Holistic,Sustained over time and involve Multiple Partners

  17. References Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor’s degree attainment. Document # PLLI 1999-8021. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement Attewell, P. & Lavin, D.E. (2007). Passing the torch: Does Higher Education for the disadvantaged pay off across the generations? New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Bowen, W., Chingos, M.M. & McPherson, M. S. (2009). Crossing the finishing line: Completing college at America’s public universities. Princeton University. Bowen, W.G., Kurzweil, M.A., & Tobin, E.M. (2005). Equity and excellence in American higher education. The “elite” schools: Engines of opportunity or bastions of privilege? (pp. 122-136). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press. Hagedorn, L.S., Cabrera, A.F., & Prather, G. (2010-11) The Community College Transfer Calculator: Identifying the Course-Taking Patterns that Predict Transfer. Journal of College Student Retention, 12(1), 105-130. Hossler, D., Schmit, J., & Vesper, N. (1999). Going to college: How social, economic, and educational factors influence the decisions students make. Maryland, Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

  18. References Cabrera, A. F. & La Nasa, S. M. (2000). Understanding the college choice of disadvantaged students. New Directions for Institutional Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Cabrera, A. F. & La Nasa, S. M. (2001). On the path to college: Three critical tasks facing America’s disadvantaged. Research in Higher Education, 42(2), 119-150. Cabrera, A. F., Burkum, K. R. & La Nasa, S. M. (2005). Pathways to a four year degree: Determinants of transfer and degree completion. In A. Seidman (Ed.). College Student Retention: A Formula for Student Success (pp. 155-209). ACE/Praeger series on Higher Education. Hossler, D., Schmit, J., & Vesper, N. (1999). Going to college: How social, economic, and educational factors influence the decisions students make. Maryland, Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

  19. References 19 McDonald, Botti & Clark (2007). From visibility to autonomy: Latinos in Higher Education in the US, 1965-2005. University of Maryland, College Park Volkwein, J. F.(2010). Overcoming obstacles to campus assessment (pp. 47-63). In J. F. Volkwein (Editor). Spring Supplement. New Directions for Institutional Research. Volume 2010. Jossey-Bass. Swail, W. S., Cabrera, A.F., Lee, C., & Williams, A. (2004). Part I: From middle school to the work force: Latino students in the Educational Pipeline. Washington, DC.: The Educational Policy Institute. http://educationalpolicy.org/pdf/LatinoI.pdf Swail, W. S., Cabrera, A. F. & Lee, Ch. (2005). Part II: Latino High School and Baccalaureate graduates: A comparison. The Pew Hispanic Center/USC Annenberg School for Communications .Washington, DC: Educational Policy Institute, Inc. http://educationalpolicy.org/pdf/LatinoII.pdf Swail, W. S., Cabrera, A.F., Lee, C., & Williams, A. (2005). Part III: Pathways to the bachelor’s degree for Latino students. Washington, DC.: The Educational Policy Institute. http://educationalpolicy.org/pdf/LatinoIII.pdf

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