Web Sites
College.gov: This Web site was designed by students, for students and features first-person accounts of students who overcame great challenges -- peer pressure, lack of family support, and financial barriers -- in order to attend college. It provides relevant, comprehensive information about why to go, how to go, and how to pay for college or other postsecondary education programs. Young people who may not have considered higher education a viable option will be engaged, informed, and inspired to create their own "roadmap" to college.
Council of the Great City Schools: This Web site was developed by the Council of Great City Schools, a coalition made up of 66 of the nation’s largest public school districts. The Web site contains recent research and publications, including briefs on teacher recruitment and retention as well as student achievement in urban schools.
The Pathways to College Network: The Pathways to College Network is a national alliance of organizations committed to using research-based knowledge to improve postsecondary education access and success for the nation’s underprivileged students. This Web site contains resources on access to college and college readiness.
Reports and Guides
College Readiness Begins in Middle School: This ACT policy report looks at the need for college readiness programs beginning in middle school. Different aspects discussed include the role of parents and technology, school relationships and success for African-American students, and the creation of seamless educational transitions for urban students.
How Can Pre‑Collegiate Outreach Programs Work with Schools: Pathways to Improving Practice, Fact Sheet 3: This short document provides some suggestions for extending focused pre-college outreach programs to have greater impact in schools. It uses three programs as examples.
Improving College Readiness and Success for All Students: A Joint Responsibility Between K–12 and Postsecondary Education: This issue brief by the U.S. Department of Education discusses the importance of improving college readiness and the effect that properly prepared students can have on the labor market. The report focuses on a need for cooperation between K-12 and post-secondary education.
The Middle Grades: Putting All Students on Track for College: This report explains why the middle grades are crucial for college planning, lists effective practices of what works, and makes recommendations for improving schools’ impact on increasing student access to college.
Reporting on College Readiness: Information that Connects Colleges and Schools: This report from the Southern Regional Education Board describes the types of information in college-to-school reporting systems, specifically the information colleges give high schools on the freshmen coming from those high schools. The report recommends using this information as a tool to improve the college readiness of high school students.
Toward a More Comprehensive Conception of College Readiness: This report prepared in 2007 by the Educational Policy Improvement Center defines college readiness and shows how to measure dimensions of college readiness. It includes suggestions for schools and students to foster college readiness.
Research
How Do Pre‑Collegiate Academic Outreach Programs Impact College‑Going Among Underrepresented Students?: This paper reviews the literature on pre-college academic development programs, identifies key practices, and describes four programs that use these practices.
Investing early: Intervention Programs in Selected U.S. States: This report compares 17 leading state-sponsored early intervention programs for college access across 12 states, to identify common policy mechanisms and identify best practices.
Pre-College Outreach Programs for Low-Income Students: This research/literature review makes a case for support to help underserved students access college, describes effective early outreach practices, and summarizes the evidence for five early outreach programs.
Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States: A 2003 paper by the Manhattan Institute examines college readiness in the graduating high school class of 2001 and the crucial “hurdles” that students face when attending high school and preparing for college.
Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life: This research study completed by WestEd for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focuses on the college preparedness and barriers that prevent success in college and life in general. The study also profiles five schools in underprivileged areas which have been successful in developing college readiness.
