National: 

Locating the Drop-out Crisis”, June 2004)

Center for Social Organization of Schools, John Hopkins University

Consider the central findings of this study:

*  Nearly half of our nation’s African American students, nearly 40% of Latino students, and only 11% of white students attend high schools in which graduation is not the norm.

*  Between 1993 and 2002, the number of high schools with the lowest levels of success in promoting freshmen to senior status on time (a strong correlate of high dropout and low graduation rates) increased by 75%, compared with only an 8% increase in the total number of high schools.

*  There are currently between 900 and 1,000 high schools in the country in which graduating is at best a 50/50 proposition.  In 2,000 high schools, a typical freshman class shrinks by 40% or more by the time the students reach their senior year.  This represents nearly one in five regular or vocational high schools in the U.S. that enroll 300 or more students.

*  A majority minority high school is five times more likely to have weak promoting power (promote 50% or fewer freshmen to senior status on time) than a majority white school.

*  Poverty appears to be the key correlate of high schools with weak promoting power.  Majority minority high schools with more resources (e.g., selective programs, higher per pupil expenditures, suburban location) successfully promote students to senior status at the same rate as majority white schools.

*  The majority of high schools with weak promoting power are located in northern and western cities and throughout the southern states.

*  High schools with the worse promoting power are concentrated in a sub-set of states.  Nearly 80% of the nation’s high schools that produce the highest number of dropouts can be found in just 15 states (Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas).

*  While only 20% of high schools that enroll more than 300 students are locate din large and medium-sized cities, 60% of the nation’s high schools with the lowest levels of promoting power are found in these cities.

*  Many cities have high concentrations of high school students who attend regular or vocational high schools with more than 300 students attend high schools with weak promoting power.  In some cities, students have virtually no other choice but to attend a high school with weak promoting power.

*  More than half of African American students in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania attend high schools in which the majority of students do not graduate on time, if at all.  African American students in these states are up to 10 times more likely to attend a high school with very weak promoting power, high dropout and low graduation rates than white students.

*  Five southern states – Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Texas – collectively lead the nation in both total number and level of concentration of high schools with weak promoting power.

Three high school reform approaches promise to promote fundamental change to the traditional structure of large, non-selective neighborhood high schools—

*  creation of new small schools

*  creation of new medium-large theme based schools

*  converting large high schools into multiple small learning communities

National:

College Knowledge:  Addressing Information Barriers to College

[published by the Education Resources Institute (ERI) 2004]

The analysis is based on research reports and synthesis of literature about the role of information, counseling, and other factors in students going to college – the main findings are:

*  College-preparatory information and guidance are major components in realizing college aspirations.

*  Students traditionally underrepresented in higher education do not naturally possess college knowledge.  Most come from families with limited or no college experience and attend schools that provide only minimal college guidance.

*  The knowledge gap for underrepresented students is exacerbated by their limited access to technology and technological innovations in college admissions and recruitment via the Internet.

*  Finally, although the information gap problem is severe, it is not insurmountable.  Research suggests that interventions focused on providing information and guidance about college to underrepresented students and families, both early and often, can supply them with the college knowledge they sorely need.

Several key elements of effective interventions:

*  Early intervention should begin in elementary school in order to play a role in developing college plans which students may form as early as 8^th or 9^th grade  (Hossler et al., 1999)

*  Information about college financing and financial aid should target parents.

*  Information and guidance in middle school and throughout high school should focus on ensuring that students take the most challenging academic courses possible.

*  High school students and families need to understand the importance of taking college entrance examinations and meeting registration deadlines.  They also are likely to need assistance with completing financial aid forms and navigating through the college admissions process in general.

*  Guidance at the college application stage should focus on encouraging students to research and apply to a wider array of colleges than they might normally consider in addition to helping students distinguish between private and public colleges and two-year and four-year schools – something low-income students are not always able to do (Ikenberry & Hartle, 1998).

*  Substantial investment in the technological infrastructure will allow students to keep pace with the increasing volume of college-related transactions conducted over the Internet.

National:

“Keeping America’s Promise” –  “A Report on the Future of the Community College” July 2004

(Joint Project of ECS and The League for Innovation in the Community College)

To examine the promise of higher education

Challenge Essay Trends:

1. Escalating demand for postsecondary education

2. Continuously changing student mix

3. Going to college – now involves part-time attendance at multiple institutions before attaining a credential; students goals change over time, and the community colleges enrollment half of all the undergraduates

4. Funding squeeze

Promises:

1. Provide and promote access to college

2. Improve student attainment

3. Focus on learning

4. Embrace accountability

5. We must, we will close the gap in educational attainment

Strategies:

1. Create stronger connections with K-12 education

2. Build a new Cultures of Evidence in community colleges

3. Provide effective remediation on the high school level and community college level

4. Strengthen student engagement in the college learning experience

5. Rethink and redesign

6. Exercise leadership