New Study Provides Recommendations to Remove College Barriers
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- States are pushing colleges,
universities, and K-12 schools to work together, but many state policies work
at odds with the reforms needed to improve students' college readiness and
success, according to a new study. At a time when the nation must have
citizens who have achieved educational success beyond high school, the need
for improved transitions from high school to college is urgent.
These are among the findings of The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-
State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success, released jointly today
by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the Stanford
Institute for Higher Education Research, and the Institute for Educational
Leadership.
The report identifies four areas in which states can work to improve the
transition from high school to college:
-- Alignment of Courses and Assessments. States need to make sure that
what students are asked to know and do in high school is connected to
postsecondary expectations. Currently, students in most states graduate
from high school under one set of standards and face a disconnected and
different set of expectations in college. Many students enter college
unable to perform college-level work.
-- Finance. State need-based financial aid policy should be linked with
student preparation for college and state budgeting policy should
support collaboration between schools and colleges.
-- Accountability. States need to connect their accountability systems for
K-12 and postsecondary education. Currently, accountability systems are
usually designed for either K-12 or postsecondary education without
much attention to the interface between the two.
-- Data Systems. States must provide better information about education
for policymakers and the public, including information about high
school students' preparation for college-level work. These data systems
should diagnose problems, provide information about all education
levels, assess achievement, and track individual students over time
across schools and colleges and universities.
Andrea Venezia, senior policy analyst at the National Center and co-author
of the report states, "This study outlines concrete policy changes states can
put into place, and stresses the importance of both systems working together.
We believe it will help states take that next step and change the policies
that drive their education systems."
K-12 and postsecondary education policymaking currently exist in separate
worlds and each system's policies are typically formed independently of each
other -- even though most high school graduates eventually progress from one
system to the other. As a result, students rarely know how to prepare for
college despite having higher educational aspirations than at any other time
in U.S. history. While most young people say they want to attend college, out
of 100 ninth graders, 40 will immediately enter college after graduating from
high school, but only 18 will complete an associate's degree in three years or
a bachelor's degree in six years.
However, the report says remediation rates are disturbingly high --
approximately 50% nationally -- and too few complete their college programs.
Out of 100 ninth graders who graduate from high school and immediately enter
college, only 27 are still enrolled their sophomore year.
The need to improve the transition from high school to college is crucial
now, given our global, knowledge-based economy. Students who aspire to
participate in the middle-class must complete at least some education or
training beyond high school. And according to Patrick Callan, president of the
National Center and co-author of the report, this need extends far beyond
individual aspirations. "To compete in the global economy, businesses and
communities -- and our nation as a whole -- must have a
college-educated populace," he says. "We must make sure our education systems
better suit students' needs and aspirations -- and our country's needs."
In addition to its recommendations, The Governance Divide provides an
overview of public education governance and K-16 reform in Florida, Georgia,
New York, and Oregon. The report is based on findings from Partnerships for
Student Success (PSS), a project that analyzed K-16 educational governance and
policies in the four states, focusing on organizational structures,
leadership, finance, curriculum and assessment, accountability, and data
systems.
The report was a collaborative effort by several authors: Andrea Venezia,
senior policy analyst at the National Center; Patrick M. Callan, president of
the National Center; Joni E. Finney, vice president of the National Center;
Michael W. Kirst, professor of Education at Stanford University; and Michael
D. Usdan, senior fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership. Generous
support for the project was provided by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Copies of The Governance Divide will be available at "State Policy
Dimensions for K-16 Reform," on September 12 at the Wingspread Conference
Center in Racine, Wisconsin. The working session will convene national
education experts and state leaders from both K-12 and postsecondary education
to discuss options that states should consider to improve successful student
transitions between high school and postsecondary education. Sponsors of the
conference include the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education,
Achieve, the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and
Policy, the Institute for Educational Leadership, The Johnson Foundation, and
the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
The Governance Divide is available on the National Center's Web site at
http://www.highereducation.org.
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is an
independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. It is not affiliated with
any institution of higher education or with any government agency. The purpose
of the National Center's studies and reports is to stimulate public policies
that will improve the effectiveness and accessibility of higher education.
The Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research (SIHER) is home to
sponsored research projects that examine contemporary higher education
planning and policy issues from a wide range of analytical perspectives,
including those of social scientists and policy audiences in the United States
and abroad.
The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization based in Washington, D.C. For more than 40 years, IEL's mission
has been to build the capacity of individuals and organizations in education
and related fields to work together-across policies, programs, and sectors.
The Governance Divide was funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
The contents of the report are solely the responsibility of the National
Center. The report is part of a series of K-16 projects supported by the
Foundation.
SOURCE National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
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Related links:
http://www.highereducation.org
CONTACT:
Daphne Borromeo of National Center for Public
Policy and Higher Education, +1-408-271-2699 or
dborromeo@highereducation.org
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