The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which prospective first-generation students from middle-income families make decisions about attending college. I sought to discover the following: (1) what influenced students' decisions, and how the students felt about these influences; (2) how students interpreted the importance of going to…

This supplemental report expands on the findings of the 2010 National Freshman Attitudes Report from Noel-Levitz by examining the wide-ranging attitudes and motivations of incoming, first-year students at two-year community, junior, career, and technical colleges. Specifically, this report contrasts the attitudes of: (1) Adult versus…

There is a growing movement in the early childhood advocacy community to address the dual problems of quality and compensation by turning to a credential with a much different track record: the bachelor's degree. The B.A. is already the foundational degree for K-12 educators, after all, and people who have bachelor's degrees earn much more than…

High-quality early childhood education has tremendous potential to improve children's and families' lives. Yet access to such education remains limited, and many early childhood educators lack the skills and credentials to improve quality in the field. To address these issues, advocates and a growing number of states have sought to extend the…

Undocumented immigrant postsecondary students face myriad challenges while pursuing a college education. These overwhelmingly first-generation, low-income students lose their guarantee to a public education ensured by the 1982 "Plyler v. Doe" decision when they complete secondary school. They are foreclosed from traditional financial…

This report describes self-reported attitudes and motivations of first-year college students nationally at the beginning of the undergraduate experience, based on a 100-item motivational assessment administered in the summer and fall of 2010. Highlighted this year are attitudes that may limit academic engagement, suggesting the need for…

In 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) with the primary goal of increasing the opportunity for underserved students to earn a postsecondary credential. To achieve this goal, Early Colleges provide underserved students with exposure to, and support in, college while they are in…

Today, the U. S. population includes approximately 50 million Latinos, more than double the figure reported in the 1990 Census. A heterogeneous group from many countries of origin, the Latino community includes recent immigrants and families who have lived here for generations. Despite these differences, current analyses document significant…

This article explored career compromise as negotiated by working-class adults pursuing science-related careers. Using a multiple case study method, we focused on eight individuals who participated in an interview about their career choices and then were followed longitudinally for 2 years. All participants were first-generation college students…

The purpose of this research is to analyze characteristics and motivators among alumni of the Community Involvement Program (CIP) for donating to the University of the Pacific. The research questions were: (1) what are the characteristics and motivators of CIP alumni for donating to the University of the Pacific? (2) do the characteristics and…

The purpose of this study was to compare the retention factors between first-generation college students and second- and third-generation college students in the postsecondary educational setting. This study examined the differences in the preselected retention factors: faculty-student interaction, college mentor, academic support, residential…

For the disproportionately well-off students who attend reasonably selective public and private institutions--roughly, the top 30%--life is good. Their colleges are well-resourced and so are they. They'll most likely graduate and go onto the substantial rewards society offers to those with a college degree. For everyone else--the bottom 70%--the…

Applicants for college entrance may be deemed able to succeed based on a variety of screening factors: standardized test scores such as ACT or SAT, high school grade point average or completion of college preparatory coursework. Rio Grande University (pseudonym) offered provisional admission to applicants who met all entrance requirements with the…

Many college entrants' parents do not have college degrees. These entrants are at high risk for attrition, suggesting it is critical to understand mechanisms of attrition relative to parental education. Moderators and mediators of the effect of parental education on attrition were investigated in 3,290 students over 4 years. Low parental education…

In this pilot study, participating Hispanic and Southeast Asian freshmen took a writing-intensive history survey course with a weekly analytic journal task. The study examined the helpfulness of the weekly journal and the scaffolding steps provided by the professor and teaching assistants, by peers in their learning community, and by out-of-class…