College Guidance, Preparation, and Success

A new Jobs for the Future report reiterates the disparity in college retention rates and points to ways dual enrollment systems can benefit students, allowing them to earn college credits while in high school and helping them transition smoothly into higher education. Why dual enrollment might work? Recent polls show that only 29 percent of community college students attain a degree, only 56 percent in four-year institutions, and only 11 percent of low-income students attain diplomas. Although dual enrollments are available to an increasing number of students, majority minority schools continue to lack this option, which plays into the issues of access and equity. Yet, the report notes, dual enrollment stands to benefit students who are least likely to consider college or be college bound, by challenging them intellectually, stimulating their thinking in new ways, and presenting students with an opportunity to get a taste of college. Visit: http://www.jff.org/

2008 being an election year opens doors for higher education policy reconsiderations. AASCU, one of the most prominent higher education association has recently released a list of top ten issues that need to be address in the policy realm:
1.    Affordability
2.    States’ fiscal forecasts
3.    College preparation
4.    Campus security
5.    Immigration
6.    Presidential election
7.    Affirmative action
8.    Retooling financial aid
9.    Economic development
The presence of college preparation near the top of the list suggests the importance of linking and aligning higher and secondary education systems and increasing the level of rigor all students get in high schools in order to be college ready. To learn more visit http://www.aascu.org