The Education Trust and Education Sector have used statistical analysis to document very different rates of graduation from similar institutions. For example, Education Sector's new report looks at different gaps between colleges in their black/white graduation rates and the colleges are all over the map. Many differ between 30 and 45 % in white vs black rates. But some colleges do relatively better like Florida State where the black graduation rate is higher. Why??
Education Sector suggests that Fla State has a summer program and special academic activities for black students at risk. But we really cannot know by just using statitistical analyses. Scholars need to do case studies of all types of colleges to find out, and just not look at the colleges with better graduation rates. The lower scoring colleges may be doing things like Fla. State. Much more effort is needed on college success studies. See the study at http://www.educationsector.org/

Labels: College Completion, College Success Studies

College completion is very low for nonselective postsecondary education-less than 50% for 4 year and about 30% for 2 year colleges. There are many causes , but we do not know which is the most or least important. Here are 5 causes from Michal Kurlaender at UC- Davis :
-Compositional Changes in College Going Population- eg more students start at 2 year, go part time
-Student lacks Interest in Continuing- eg courses are boring or gets job.
-Financial Constraints
-Poor Academic prepardness and k-12 alignment of standards , study habits etc.
- Bad Institutional practices- students cannot get needed courses, lack of counseling, failure to promote financial aid
All of these are important, but it is puzzling that similar colleges have different college completion rates. More on this in next blog

Labels: College Completion, college costs

Florida has the best k-20 data in the country. They can track students and adults through the system. Florida has followed the high school class of 1996 until 2007. 69% of the 1996 high school grads ended up with only a high school degree, and 13% a BA. Not an impressive performance.
What seemed new was Florida"s analysis of what happened to students with a GED who exited high school without a diploma , but perisited and got a GED. 94% of GED holders never got anything more than that- no certificate or any completion of postsecondary education. So the GED is not a good vehicle for college completion , and has no legs.

Labels: College Completion

From 1940 until 1980 the college graduation rate went up at a significant amount each year. But college completion rates stopped growing in 1980 and have barely moved since then. The number of college grads is up because of growing youth population, but not the rate of growth. Seven countries have surpassed the USA in percent of college graduates in the age 25-34 population. Despite these trends I still hear from the media and college leaders that the US has the best higher education system in the world, but k-12 stinks.
The US needs to wake up and understand the causes and extent of this problem. This blog has presented many reasons for this and more is coming. For college graduation rates see Digest of Education Statistics , National center for Education Statistics, starting with p.17 of the 1996 issue and continuing each year.

Labels: College Completion

The April 20 New York Times education section has a good article on the big change in financial aid policies for America"s most selective colleges. It clearly describes the major change to provide more grant money to the middle and lower income students. More low income students are getting a signal that they can go to these colleges,because the aid policies are easy to understand.
But the article also points out that very few students attend these colleges with incomes under $ 100,000, and the total enrollment of these schools is less than 5% of the overall college enrollment- eg 45% of students attend 2 year schools.
The conclusion at the end is my concern. it implies that what the elites do will drive the discussion for financial aid policies for broad access colleges that are open enrollment or non selective and where the low and middle income students go. I once thought this might be true , but after completing 10 years of research no longer think so. Pell grants and state merit scholarship programs are not influenced much by what Harvard, Stanford, Virginia,or Amherst do. -see http://bridgeproject.stanford.edu .

Labels: college information, student aid

Last blog I wrote about the new study of high school grads in 2015 featuring the declining states. But there are some states with huge growth where college space will get tight or nonexistent. For examle Arizona growth is projceted to be 50% between 2005 and 2015! Some other states are Fla 22%, Ga 23%, Nevada 49%, NC 20%, Texas and Tenn 21%.
Many of these states barely have capacity for exisitng students-eg AZ, NV, and FLa. In Arizona the only four year public school in the Tuscon metro area is the University of Arizona which is bulging. Fla has communuty colleges converting to 4 years degrees, and has many geographical dense areas with no four year capacity.
Increasingly public college opportunity will depend on where you live.-see- http:/www.wiche.org for the projections. And even better high school preparation will be required to get admitted.

Labels: academic preparation, College Admissions

Projections of High School Graduates show some big differences among states. Some states will decline and cause public and private colleges to lower admission standards. For example, in 2015 Iowa graduates will decline by 11%, Nebraska by 6%, NH by 10%, NY by 9%, Pa by 7%and Vermont by 23%. Many of these states have a good supply of colleges who will be scrambling to find students.
My concern is that this trend will send signals to students that they can get in easily , so do not need to study hard in high school. More colleges will become defacto open enrollment. This will lower college preparation and completion.
For the study see http://www.wiche.org/

Labels: academic preparation College Completion

Dear Friends, (Message From University of Texas Austin President Bill Powers)
>
>Many of you have told me that you are concerned about the Top 10%
>Law and its effect on admissions at UT Austin. We're concluding the
>admissions cycle here on the 40 Acres, and I'd like to share some
>figures with you.
>
>We received 29,626 applications for the fall 2008 freshman class.
>Our target enrollment for that class is 7,200. We have already
>admitted more than 9,100 Texas applicants who graduated in the top
>10% of their high school class. Those figures clearly demonstrate
>the problem we face.
>
>Of course, not all the Top 10% admitted students will attend UT. But
>we estimate that 81-85% of our freshmen from Texas high schools will
>be automatically admitted under the Top 10% Law, and it could reach
>100% within the next two years. After all, last year's figure was
>71%, so we've experienced a substantial increase in only 12 months.
>
>The law penalizes many well-rounded students. Furthermore, we are
>unable to admit many students with extraordinary skills in music,
>art, mathematics, or leadership because we are required to select so
>many students according to a sole criterion, class rank. When our
>children come to us and ask for advice, we properly tell them to do
>well in school, but also to be well rounded by getting involved in
>their community. Then when they want to come to UT, they find out
>only one thing matters. That's a terrible message to send to our young people.
>
>In addition, only one in four of our top 10% students is Hispanic or
>African American. We are running out of room to recruit minority
>students who, for example, are in the 15th percentile and who have
>other indices of leadership. We can do a better job diversifying our
>class if we have more flexibility. When the Top 10% Law was
>originally passed, about 41% of our Texas students came in under it.
>All we are asking is to return to that original model.
>
>In testimony before the Legislature on many occasions, I have stated
>that if we granted automatic admission to half the freshman class
>and considered all admissions criteria for the other half, we could
>accomplish the goals of the Top 10% Law while building a diverse and
>well-rounded student body. In my travels across Texas, I will
>continue to try to educate the people of our state and our elected
>representatives about the effects of the Top 10% Law on educational
>opportunities at The University of Texas at Austin. I hope you will join me.
>
>Thanks for all you do for the University.
>
>[]
>
>
>Bill Powers
>President
>The University of Texas at Austin

The US Department of Education in 2003 released its percentages of entering "freshmen" enrolled in developmental courses, 2000- see NCES 2004-10 report, 2003. These are now the official figures and are widely cited as authoritative source on the incidence of remediation in postsecondary education. The 42% public 2 year rate is way off, and the real number is over 60% as evdenced by another US Department study by Clifford Adelman who used transcripts of a representative sample on college students in his books Answers in the Toolbox and Toolbox Revisited.
A new Ca. study of Community Colleges found more than 70% of students ages 17-19 were placed in remedial math, and 42% in remedial English-twillet@calpass.org. The Us Dept number of 42% is number enrolled in remedial course , not the number who need it. This may account for some of the underestimate, but the department needs a new remediation study and precise concepts to clarify this crucial misperception. Then we need a good cost estimate of all remediation.

Labels: academic preparation

Last year females attained 58% of 4year college degrees and males 42%- the ratios for african american and latino females are more than 2 to 1.The causes are unknown and under researched. We have indicators but scant hard evidence. One symptom was released thursday by the National Assessment- NAEP. 41% of the eigth grade girls compared to 20 % of the boys were proficient in writing ! Can this be explained by patterns of instructional interactions between teachers and boys? I doubt it.
One glimmer of a solution was reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education on Oct 17, 2007. Male students who take college courses in high school were more likely to go to college and complete college then other similar male students.

Labels: academic preparation, College Completion

Guest Blogger:
Sara Goldrick-Rab
Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies & Sociology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Scholar at the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education


I write with more disturbing news about the TEACH grants I blogged about a month or so ago. At this point, the legislation has been approved and the Secy for Education is taking comments on the proposed federal regulations. These regulations have been posted, and they make it quite clear that this so-called grant is really a trick. I call it a trick because the Department of Education knows, and it explicit about knowing-- and expecting-- that fully 80% of those receiving the TEACH grant will fail to meet its requirements and therefore have their "grant" turned into an unsubsidized loan!


Here is the text from the federal regs:

"As discussed elsewhere in this preamble, program cost estimates reflect data on recent college graduates entering eligible teaching fields, adjusted for the percentage of students who graduate, maintain a 3.25 grade-point-average and take out a Federal loan. (In the absence of any need-based eligibility criteria, Federal borrowing was used as a proxy for unmet financial need.) Data from longitudinal studies were used to estimate the percentage of recipients who graduated from college, were highly qualified, and taught in high poverty schools for four out of the eight years following graduation. Based on this data, the Department assumed _*80 percent of recipients *_will eventually fail to fulfill their service requirements and have their grants converted into Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans."


The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program and Other Federal Student Aid Programs; Proposed Rule

Posted on 03-21-2008
[Federal Register: March 21, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 56)]


Please, spread the word! People should not sign up for this without knowing the real deal.

As funny as it may sound, when I was growing up nobody ever bothered mentioning to me about the importance of having good grades… I kid you not.

Maybe I was just the product of bad counseling or maybe while they were mentioning grades, I just wasn’t listening. But now that I have my own children and now that my oldest is preparing to enter college, I am very glad that they have not inherited my early bad habits.

Ever since my kids could understand what we were saying to them, my wife and I have stressed to them that scholarships are the rewards for having good grades (and good test scores).

Good Grades - Enjoying the Price
Whoever said that you have to pay the price for good grades had it all wrong. I am thoroughly convinced that you do not pay the price for good grades - You enjoy the price of having good grades. This is especially true during the college application process. You pay the price for not having good grades.

Is College For You?
The first thing you need to do is face some real truths… Why were your grades not as good? Was it because you spent too much of your time goofing off? Or, did you just struggle to do the work?

Goofing off, that was my problem when I was in high school. On days when I wanted to get it done, I did. But on the days when I just didn’t feel like giving it my all I didn’t. As a result, my 4 years of high school were a lesson in under achievement, full of C’s, D’s and some F’s. I learned the hard way that a 1.8 GPA won’t get you accepted in many schools.

Let’s face it, if neither English nor math nor science were subjects you liked and if high school was a struggle for you and it wasn’t because you didn’t apply yourself, then just maybe college is not for you. However, fear not, to borrow a phrase from an old friend of mine “That don’t make you a bad man” (English wasn’t his best subject) you do have some alternatives.

Not so good Grades but can do better
So you didn’t hit the books as well as you should have. Fear not, all is not lost. There are still plenty of options available to you. First and foremost, you may have to pass on some colleges with tighter admission requirements if you still want to attend a 4-year college or university.

You may want to consider enrolling at a local 2-year community college where you can begin to discipline yourself to study and perform at a level that a college student should be performing at. This will allow you time to really find out if college is for you and will allow you to do it at a much cheaper price.

If after spending time at a 2-year college you are able to get your study and work habits on track, then you can transfer to a 4-year college or university to continue your education.

College is Not Quite Me
Far too many high-schoolers allow their parents or peer pressure from friends to pushed them into enrolling into college, when they simply did not have it in them. What usually happens to these kids is that they wind up doing poorly and flunking out or just dropping out after a few semesters.

But Don’t I Need A 4 Year College Education?
Is a 4 year degree absolutely necessary? Not really, the fact of the matter is that there are millions of people who are enjoying successful lives and earning good salaries who do not have a 4 year degree. The key to obtaining gainful employment is not a degree, but having skills that are in demand.

Alternatives to 4 Years of College
You do not need to earn a 4 year degree, but you may have to take some courses. However, this need not be done at a large college or university. You can explore the following:

• Your local community college
• Trade Schools
• Union Apprenticeship and Training Programs

Be Encouraged
Under no circumstances should you give up. Continue to work to find out what you are good at. Everybody is an expert at something. With a little extra effort you can do it. Good Luck!

Johnny and His wife Helena are the authors of the website: College
>Tidbits. You can find more of their articles by visiting
>http://www.collegetidbits.com or by sending an email to
>info@collegetidbits.com.

There is no question that face-to-face instruction is the best method of teaching. However, students often find themselves needing an extra bit of instruction during odd hours. Online tutoring can provide a convenient, affordable alternative to private tutoring. Though it isn't the perfect environment to receive instruction, it can certainly serve as another piece of the college success puzzle.

Some colleges offer an online tutoring program through the school. Tutors are often graduate students, teacher aides or even moonlighting professors. Students should be encouraged to take advantage of any college mentoring or tutoring programs offered by their school. However, there are also several national companies that provide instant online tutoring for a small fee.

The following companies offer online tutoring from trained, qualified professionals:

1. Tutor.com – Currently the most popular name in online tutoring, this company provides live, background-checked instructors 24 hours a day. Students of any age can benefit, from grade school to grad school.

2. Tutorvista – This is one of the few companies that only hires tutors with graduate-level degrees. Each tutor is also trained for months and must pass a stringent certification process before they can begin working with students. This company is highly recommended for students who need help with advanced coursework.

3. SMARTHINKING – This is another online tutoring company that is aimed at students who are pursuing a higher education. All tutors must have completed at least some graduate coursework in the field they are instructing. Of special note is the online writing lab offered by SMARTHINKING, which can definitely aid students who are struggling with an essay.

While there are certainly more online tutoring companies springing up all over the Web, the companies above are considered to be reputable and most effective. One thing that online tutors won't do is provide pat answers to questions or complete homework for a student. Instead, the tutors are encouraged to engage with the student and ensure that the student understands everything they cover in a session.

Both the affordability and convenience of online tutoring should encourage students to ask for help when they normally wouldn't. For that reason alone, it helps to improve a student's college success rate.

By-line:

Heather Johnson is a freelance writer, as well as a regular contributor for OEDb, a site for learning about online education. Heather invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com .

Labels: academic preparation, college sucess

Ed week reports that states increased the number of math and science credits needed for the high school diploma from an average of 2.2 years of math and 2.0 years of science in 1989 to 3.0 years of math and 2.7 of acience in 2006. This is in Ed weeks special issue on STEM in March. This increase is impressive , but remember it is the content and skills in the course labels that counts. Numerous studies show that merely changing or increasing the number of math course titles does not do much to increase student outcomes. Studies by Cal-Pass in Ca. show math course content is all over the map in Ca. secondary schools- contact twillet@calpass.org.