After High School
Stephen M. Pratt, President
Dear Friends:
The heading on this graph from the report Tough Choices or Tough Times reads "Portrait of A Failing System". Nationally, for every 100 ninth graders, 68 students will graduate high school on time, 40 will enroll in a two- or four-year college, 27 will last a year, and just 18 will earn an Associate’s degree within three years or a Bachelor’s degree within six years. Research conducted nationally by the Gates Foundation and locally by The Bo
ston Foundation suggests that as few as eight out of 100 urban students will earn a college degree within six years of completing high school.
Where does one even begin in responding to this challenge? Obviously, incrementalism is not an adequate response. Would you be more satisfied if the number were 15 out of 100? This is obviously an extension of the high school dropout crisis, and it requires the same sort of coordinated response by several systems affecting outcomes for youth. K-12 schools on their own will not be able to put much of a dent in these numbers.
In this issue, we explore the role that out-of-school time programs are playing and can play in increasing the flow of urban students moving on to and succeeding in higher education. Early awareness, skills building, mentoring, and financial aid support and counseling all can play critical roles. The question for each of us reading this - public policy makers, philanthropists, and program providers - is what are we doing to ensure that our students get on the road to college and stay on it?
Thanks for reading,
New Additions on this Topic to our Online Research Library
Massachusetts Community Colleges: The Potential for Improving College Attainment
Massachusetts Community Colleges: The Potential for Improving College Attainment In an effort to improve graduation rates, the Boston Foundation released a report that highlights best practices for supporting students’ in attaining college degrees. The author outlines strategies for working with both traditional age students and adult students. Specifically, this report discusses the role of community colleges in various aspects of the MA workforce. The author also offers various approaches and recommendations for improving the community college system. February 2007.
An Assessment of the Labor Market, Income, Health, Social, Civic and Fiscal Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Findings for Massachusetts Adults in the 21st Century
This report to the Boston Youth Transition Funders Group provides information about the vast consequences of dropping out of high school in Massachusetts, specifically in Boston. The author discusses recent trends of the dropout crisis and then details the impact of dropping out on the labor market, families, income, health, the criminal justice system and the economy. January 2007.
The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts
This report, for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation takes a look at high school dropouts. In particular, they describe the students who leave school before graduation and the outline the reasons for dropping out. They also touch on some of the regrets of those that dropped out. The authors identify factors which might help to keep these students in school, as well as the policy implications which follow. March 2006.
Identifying Potential Dropouts: Key Lessons for Building an Early Warning Data System
Commissioned for the project “Moving Forward: High Standards and High Graduation Rates,” a joint project of Achieve, Inc. and Jobs for the Future
The goal of this white paper is to inform and advise policy makers of research about the issue of dropouts. It presents the best practices for creating early warning data systems that will assist in the identification of students who are at risk of dropping out and could benefit from intervention. The paper discusses what students drop out and why, and what can be done in terms of prevention. June 2006.