New Report: Preparing High School Students for College

Posted by on June 04, 2012

A look at college-readiness partnerships

A new report from the National Center for Postsecondary Research and MDRC examines college-readiness partnership programs in Texas, identifying their features, target students, and intended outcomes, as well as the partnerships that created them. Most college-readiness partnership programs are of two types: those that focus on academic subjects, and those that focus on college knowledge. The former are intensive, short-term programs targeting a small group of students and providing a direct experience of college; the latter are “light-touch, long-term” programs open to all and providing little direct experience. It is clear, the authors say, that college-readiness partnerships create opportunities for secondary and postsecondary institutions to leverage each other’s services, eliminating redundant services and aligning programming. In some cases, the programs also lead to long-lasting relationships between institutions and continued collaboration. Programs have the best chance of improving outcomes if commonly encountered challenges — such as student recruitment and program sustainability — are considered early in the planning stages. The authors emphasize the value of choosing interventions that show the greatest promise in a given context and matching students to interventions that best meet their needs; they also note that building a stronger evidence base would enhance high schools’ and colleges’ ability to make sound decisions about which potential program models to implement.

See the report: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/633/overview.html

Related: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/29/remedial-college-classes-_n_1552313.html