College for Certain: Barriers and Pathways to College Readiness and Success

• In Event: 58.084 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: 58.084-5 - Division J Section 2a Poster Session: College Student Access

Abstract

A growing number of charter high schools boast one hundred percent 4-year college acceptance rate for their graduates, many of who are the first in their families to attend a postsecondary institution. These students are considered “college-ready” given their performance on standardized entrance exams, GPAs, and successful navigation through the college application process. This study goes back into one such charter high school to investigate how “college-readiness” is defined by many actors within the school. It examines what the college preparation process looks like for students at the school above and beyond high expectations and a college preparatory curriculum. Classroom observations, interviews of teachers, students, and administration, and observations of college-focused meetings at the school were conducted over one year.

Author

• Victoria Christine Rodriguez, University of San Diego