starting early, staying on track: a chronological review of critical steps along the path to college...
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Starting Early, Staying on Track: A
Chronological Review of Critical Steps Along
the Path to CollegeAlberto F. Cabrera
Professor
Erin Ward Bibo
Doctoral Student
Department of Educational Leadership, Higher Education, & International Education
University of Maryland
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Path To College is a Longitudinal Process
Collegiate Experiences & Behaviors
AcademicIntegration
Social Integration
Facilities & Services
Climate & Diversity
PersistenceTransferStop-out
Competencies
Satisfaction &Commitment
DegreeCompletion
GraduateSchool
Employment& Income
JobPerformance
Job Satisfaction
Loan Repayment
Financial Aid Mix
Predisposition & choices
Preparationfor College
Awareness of College Characteristics, Admission Standards,
& Costs
Family Encouragement & Involvement
K-16 Communication& Engagement
Aspirations& Plans
Outcomes
1000 8th
Graders in 1988
714 Not Qualified
134 Minimally Qualified
151 Qualified
477 Graduated
237 Did Not Graduate
132 Graduated
2 Did Not Graduate
151 Graduated
0 Did Not Graduate
70 Applied to 4-year
Institution
407 Did Not Apply
46 Applied to 4-year
Institution
86 Did Not Apply
99 Applied to 4-year
Institution
52 Did Not Apply
CollegeQualifications
HighSchool
Graduation
4-year CollegeApplications
Institution Type of First Enrollment
College Choice Process for 1000 Lowest SES Students
None Vocational 2-year 4-year
11 2 6 27
46 7 33 0
None Vocational 2-year 4-year
5 1 13 79
23 5 24 0
None Vocational 2-year 4-year
17 5 10 38
288 31 88 0
Cabrera & La Nasa (2000). Understanding the college choice process. Jossey Bass
A Case for Starting EarlyPreparation 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)
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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)
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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
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Critical Steps Along the Path to CollegeEstablishing 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
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Critical Steps Along the Path to College: Achieving Each Task
Establishing Career &
Educational Attainment Goals
Succeeding in College
Preparatory Coursework
Learning about Postsecondary
Options
•Assert Career Goals, with Parent & School Support.•Understand What Postsecondary Attainment Levels Are Required to Achieve Career Goals.•Create a game plan to reflect career and educational aspirations by 8th grade.
•Succeed Academically During Middle School.•Parental involvement in high school course/track selection. •Seek academic assistance from parents & school.•Remind students of their game plan.
•Inform students of schools & programs related to career interests.•Home & School Culture: College is a Foregone Conclusion•Become college qualified.•Learn about application requirements, aid. •Visit campuses.
Critical Steps Along the Path to College: Achieving Each Task
Taking Pre-College & College Entrance Exams
Graduating High School
Applying to College
•Secure information and assistance on SAT and ACT, including financial assistance opportunities.•Research and participate in low or no-cost test-taking courses.•Allot time to take test on multiple occasions.
•Preservation of college-going and career goals: end goal should not be HS graduation.•Maintain continuous high school enrollment.•Maintain GPA of 2.5 or higher.•Parental support/involvement/high expectations.
•Ensure student meets course requirements.•Secure assistance in college application procedures.•FAFSA•Strategically apply to various institutions.•Do not underestimate value student brings to college.
Critical Steps Along the Path to College: Achieving Each Task
Enrolling in College
Successfully Transferring to a 4-
year institution
Successfully Completing a Baccalaureate
Degree•Enroll immediately upon completion of High School•Start at a four-year institution (if possible)•Avoid summer melt•Seek out work-study opportunities•Start engaging faculty, peers and staff
•Develop transfer plan•Make certain coursework taken is aligned with articulation agreements•Take math & science courses even if they are not in your major (impress college admission officers)•Maintain high GPA•Be in constant communication with the college admission office
•Maintain continuous, full time enrollment•Maintain high GPA•Take math & science courses•Work on campus in areas related to major up to certain number of hours per week•Avoid assuming family responsibilities•Engage in financial aid planning and seek debt advising•Participate in multicultural education•Participate in workshops & training on learning styles•Use of validation strategies in the classroom & out of the classroom
What matters most for the attainment of a bachelors’ degree among Latina/o students?
The role of planning & parental expectations for Latino middle school students
The role of academic preparation
Postsecondary experiences: Performance in college
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
Intervention strategies need to be Holistic, Sustained over time and involve Multiple Partners
Elementary Schools
Middle Schools
Two-Year Institutions
Four-Year Institutions
Business organizations
Community organizations
PTAs
GEAR-UP
TRIO
ReferencesAdelman, 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.
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ReferencesCabrera, 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.
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References
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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