In recent years, leaders of American cities have become progressively concerned about increasing the college-going and completion rate of their residents. Mayors and other community leaders in Memphis, Boston, Louisville, San Francisco and other cities have launched initiatives to increase college completion rates, mobilizing stakeholders from the…

The seriousness of the readiness gap--the gap between being fully credentialed and fully prepared--is the reason why the Forum for Youth Investment started the Ready by 21 partnership and the reason why American Association of School Administrators (AASA) joined. Numerous organizations and associations interested in the K-12 system's end…

Many barriers can prevent students from entering and succeeding in college, including financial difficulties, family obligations, and personal problems. However, the most significant impediment is inadequate academic preparation. As higher education widens its focus from college access to degree completion, a new relationship between K-12 and…

This report, an early component of a forthcoming set of publications intended to assist colleges and universities in building more effective programs for minority undergraduate and graduate students, provides short descriptions of 18 exemplary efforts to enhance the participation and success of minority students in higher education (including the…

Despite the open-door policies of community colleges, studies have shown that minorities and students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds graduate and transfer at lower rates than students from higher socioeconomic groups. To examine the interplay between institutional culture, ideology, and socio-historical forces shaping student perspectives and…