"Let Us Succeed": Mixed-Methods Research and Continuous Improvement for Systems Change

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Discipline and Redemption: Grounded Perspectives on School Reform

Abstract

In Washington’s Puget Sound region, 70% of jobs require a 2-or 4-year degree (Carnevale et al., 2010), yet only 30% of students obtain a degree by their mid-twenties (Community Center for Education Results, 2019). This study worked with a college-access improvement program at 11 high schools using an 84-item student survey (N=7,059; 14-to 18-year-olds) and semi-structured, focus groups (N=43; 16- to 18-year-olds) led by educators. Descriptive analysis and grounded theory qualitative coding were used to examine how students experience postsecondary supports. Ninety-six percent of students want to go to college naming economic mobility, personal, and career-specific reasons. Findings revealed variance in knowledge and barriers to college-access and were used by program teams to develop student-informed supports.

Authors

• Annia M Yoshizumi, Community Center for Education Results

• Brian K Chu, CCER

• Shelby Cooley, Community Center for Education Results