Beating the Odds: How a Comprehensive College Access Program Helps Urban High School Graduates Make It to College

• In Event: 14.045 - Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: 14.045-1 - Academic Partnerships for Student Success in Higher Education

Abstract

Disadvantaged students are less likely to research and apply to, attend, and graduate from college than their more affluent, suburban, middle-class peers (Allensworth, 2006; Choy, Horn, Nunez, & Chen, 2000; Gillespie & Noble, 1992). This paper reports early findings in a study on postsecondary outcomes in Yardley, NY, a medium-sized urban school district, where 90% of high school students qualify for free/ reduced priced lunch, only 64% graduate on time, and 15% graduate “college and career ready.” Despite this, 64% of graduates enroll in college immediately following high school and 75% enroll within 3 years. Especially encouraging is that some district schools, more than 94% of African-American students and 81% of Hispanic students enroll.

Author

• Cara Kronen, Borough of Manhattan Community College