This document records testimony from a hearing held to discuss strategies for improving postsecondary access and completion for low-income and first-generation students. The hearing served as an opportunity to learn about efforts to pioneer new strategies and study the effectiveness of existing strategies so that more disadvantaged students can achieve the dream of a higher education as Congress works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Member statements were provided by: (1) Honorable Virginia Foxx, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, U.S. House of Representatives; and (2) Honorable Rubň Hinojosa, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, U.S. House of Representatives. Witness statements were provided by: Dr. Charles J. Alexander, Associate Vice Provost for Student Diversity, Director, Academic Advancement Program, Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, California; (2) Dr. Michelle A. Cooper, President, Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, DC; (3) Dr. Joe D. May, Chancellor, Dallas County Community College District, Dallas, Texas; and (4) Dr. Laura Perna, James S. Riepe professor, Executive Director, Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Despite decades of substantial investments by the federal government, state governments, colleges and universities, and private foundations, students from low-income families as well as racial and ethnic minority groups continue to have substantially lower levels of postsecondary educational attainment than individuals from other groups. The State of College Access and Completion draws together leading researchers nationwide to summarize the state of college access and success and to provide recommendations for how institutional leaders and policymakers can effectively improve the entire spectrum of college access and completion. Springboarding from a seminar series organized by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, chapter authors explore what is known and not known from existing research about how to improve student success. This much-needed book calls explicit attention to the state of college access and success not only for traditional college-age students, but also for the substantial and growing number of "nontraditional" students. Describing trends in various outcomes along the pathway from college access to completion, this volume documents persisting gaps in outcomes based on students’ demographic characteristics and offers recommendations for strategies to raise student attainment. Graduate students, scholars, and researchers in higher education will find The State of College Access and Completion to be an important and timely resource.

"While the federal government seeks to promote educational attainment and equity through its extensive investment in student financial aid, states have primary responsibility for policies that affect the educational attainment of their populations. Despite the centrality of state policy, however, we know relatively little about the relationship between state policy and these outcomes. This book addresses this knowledge gap. Drawing on data collected from descriptive case studies of the relationship between public policy and higher education performance in five states (Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, and Washington), this book offers a more complete conceptual framework for understanding how state public policy can promote educational attainment. The resulting framework has five central tenets that help us understanding how to improve overall educational attainment and increase equity in that attainment. At its core, the model assumes that higher education performance is determined by effective state policy leadership for higher education. The book also illustrates the need for state policies that reduce the cumulative negative implications of policies that perpetuate differences in educational outcomes across groups and that proactively address the barriers that limit educational attainment for underachieving groups. This book has important implications for public policymakers, college and university leaders, educational researchers and others who are interested in understanding how public policy can improve educational attainment and equity in attainment across groups"-- Provided by publisher.

Under increasing pressure to raise graduation rates and ensure that students leave high school college- and career-ready, many school and district leaders may believe that, when students graduate with college acceptances in hand, their work is done. But as Benjamin L. Castleman and Lindsay C. Page show, summer can be a time of significant attrition among college-intending seniors—especially those from low-income families. Anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of students presumed to be headed to college fail to matriculate at any postsecondary institution in the fall following high school. Summer Melt explores the complex factors that contribute to this trend—the absence of school support, confusion over paperwork, lack of parental guidance, and the teenage tendency to procrastinate. The authors draw on findings from fields such as neuroscience, behavioral economics, and social psychology to contextualize these factors. Drawing on a series of research studies, they show how schools and districts can develop effective, low-cost, scalable responses—including counselor outreach, peer mentoring, and using text messages and social media—to help students stay on track over the summer. Summer Melt offers very practical guidance for schools and districts committed to helping their students make the transition to college.

FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS "...a concise, manageable, lucid summary of the best scholarship, practices, and future-oriented thinking about how to effectively recruit, educate, develop, retain, and ultimately graduate first-generation students." from the foreword by JOHN N. GARDNER First-generation students are frequently marginalized on their campuses, treated with benign disregard, and placed at a competitive disadvantage because of their invisibility. While they include 51% of all undergraduates, or approximately 9.3 million students, they are less likely than their peers to earn degrees. Among students enrolled in two-year institutions, they are significantly less likely to persist into a second year. First-Generation College Students offers academic leaders and student affairs professionals a guide for understanding the special challenges and common barriers these students face and provides the necessary strategies for helping them transition through and graduate from their chosen institutions. Based in solid research, the authors describe best practices and include suggestions and techniques that can help leaders design and implement effective curricula, out-of-class learning experiences, and student support services, as well as develop strategic plans that address issues sure to arise in the future. The authors offer an analysis of first-generation student expectations for college life and academics and examine the powerful role cultural capital plays in shaping their experiences and socialization. Providing a template for other campuses, the book highlights programmatic initiatives at colleges around the county that effectively serve first-generation students and create a powerful learning environment for their success. First-Generation College Students provides a much-needed portrait of the cognitive, developmental, and social factors that affect the college-going experiences and retention rates of this growing population of college students.

Gaining an understanding about the barriers in transitioning from high school to college is crucial to improving college access and matriculation—particularly for low-income families and first-generation college-goers. These obstacles include many factors, such as: Lack of access to resources at home or school Not having a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum or not taking advantage of these courses Misperceptions about the college-going process. This volume introduces innovative and effective ways to ease the transition process. One essential question examined is the role of high schools and whether they should take a more active role in preparing students for college. While some interventions in this issue are designed for school-wide implementation, others are more targeted and focus on certain aspects of the college process such as financial aid, but all recognize the role of high schools in shaping students’ college-going aspirations and behavior. By including the most cutting-edge and rigorous research on improving college access, this volume: Delineates the obstacles adolescents face in their transition from high school to college Increases understanding of the mechanisms contributing to gaps in college enrollment Highlights how interventions can help to ease these challenges. This is the 140th volume of New Directions for Youth Development, the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series dedicated to bringing together everyone concerned with helping young people, including scholars, practitioners, and people from different disciplines and professions.

Improving educational opportunities for first-generation, low-income students is critical to the future of youth in the United States. First-generation, low-income students are less likely than their more affluent peers to pursue and complete college degrees (Harvey & Anderson, 2005). In 2012, 52% of students from low-income families enrolled in postsecondary institutions as compared to 82% of students from high-income backgrounds (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). The data is clear: first-generation, low-income students are not completing college degrees despite the country's best efforts to improve the educational system. There are numerous benefits of having a college education including higher salaries, greater civic engagement, better health, and more satisfaction in life (Le, Mariano, & Faxon-Mills, 2013). College access programs have the ability to increase the rate of those attending college by providing first-generation, low-income students with academic and social services. Despite the large numbers of college access programs, there are gaps in the college access literature, particularly concerning program design and how students perceive their experiences in these programs (Le et al., 2013). This dissertation focuses on full-time, first-generation, low-income college students and how they negotiated their first years of college at a Midwestern, predominantly White institution, in one college access program. This qualitative study provides a unique viewpoint from both the perspectives of these successful first-generation, low-income students and from their perceptions of the Next Generation program, and further enhances the research on college access programs and college retention. College preparedness, strong social networks, and isolation were three themes that emerged from this study. Key findings include the need for college access programs to improve support for students in building powerful social networks and in creating strategies to overcome the psychological effects of being first-generation, low-income students. This research will be helpful to similar college access programs, as well as secondary and postsecondary institution administrators. It better informs federal and state education policy and furthers the conversation about college access programs and college retention.