Student retention is a topic at the forefront for all post secondary education institutions. Supporting students in their studies, providing the resources to empower them to complete their education is a critical component in the quality and success of colleges. It is also a fiscal concern for colleges. While first year programs abound, community…

Closing the achievement gap depends on highly effective public schools, strong community support, and family involvement. Raising the overall rates of achievement in Minnesota is a vital part of this goal. Research has shown that pre-college outreach programs improve college access for underrepresented groups, including low-income,…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from February 2 to 6, 2009. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1447, a bill giving the Legislature authority to set tuition and fee rates, was heard in the House Education Committee Wednesday, February 4; (2) the Senate Finance and Taxation…

Among academically talented students, SES and racial group membership predict both college expectations and matriculation, and youth less often attend and complete postsecondary education if their parents did not go to college. For successful adjustment to college, significant adults during high school matter more than they might imagine. Talking…

The Sutton Trust Summer School offers to S5/Year 12 pupils the opportunity to sample student life for a week at one of five selecting universities in the UK. Most of the participants on the Sutton Trust Summer School will be the first generation in their family to attend university and have come from schools which traditionally send low numbers to…

Mountain Empire Community College (MECC)'s service region covers the extreme southwestern corner of Virginia and includes four counties and one city: Dickenson, Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties, and the city of Norton. With a service region population of 93,000 residents, MECC currently serves over 5,000 students annually (Mountain Empire Community…

Using a naturalistic methodology, this study explored counselors' and administrators' perceptions of the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Middle and High School Supplemental Counseling Program (MHSSCP) at a predominantly Latino high school. Determining how counselors and administrators define their roles in implementing,…

This report summarizes three separate evaluative research projects, which address different but related aspects of Indiana's Twenty-first Century Scholars program, a state-supported effort to promote pre-college preparation and postsecondary access for low-income students. Considered collectively, the studies support the following assertions: (1)…

This brief considers the policy implications of the college experiences of African American women at a predominantly White, research institution. The findings of this ethnographic study indicate that first-generation Black women grappled with academic and financial barriers to both their initial and continued transitions through college. Their…

This article provides an overview of objective and subjective class differences in experiences of postsecondary education. Using the metaphor of a funnel, it argues that cumulative disadvantage results when first-generation and low-income college students are disproportionately filtered out at each stage of the postsecondary education process.…

A growing body of research confirms that parents have a profound impact on their children's educational attainment, particularly in the secondary grades. Yet many Latino parents, particularly those of first-generation college students, lack information and knowledge about what their children need to prepare for college and are less likely to help…

To help fulfill the goal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), high-quality postsecondary education opportunities must be available to all students. In keeping with this goal, the Federal TRIO programs and Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program provide outreach and support to help low-income and first-generation college students, as…

College attainment is increasingly important to the U.S. economy as the workforce demands education and training that properly prepare citizens for success in the global, knowledge economy. Lumina Foundation for Education has embraced a single, specific goal that will help address the economic and social trends that cloud this nation's future. Its…

Used life stories of 19 black women who were first-generation college graduates from three different age cohorts (pre civil rights era, post civil rights era, and post-Reagan era) to show how structural constraints shifted from one generation to another to place the women differentially at risk for limited educational attainment. (SLD)

Nearly 60% of all community colleges field athletic teams with over 72,000 students participating in these sports. That represents approximately 11% of all community college male students (5% of female students). Additionally, community colleges invest nearly $50 million dollars annually in financial aid to student athletes. With such a strong…