From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College. Research Report

Consortium on Chicago School Research. 1313 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 773-702-3364; Fax: 773-702-2010; Web site: http://www.consortium-chicago.org

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136

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
William T. Grant Foundation, New York, NY.
Spencer Foundation, Chicago, IL.

High Schools; College Preparation; College Choice; Transitional Programs; Case Studies; Developmental Studies Programs; Academic Aspiration; Access to Education; Educational Indicators; Educational Assessment; Enrollment Rate; Enrollment Influences; Qualitative Research; Longitudinal Studies; Cohort Analysis; Public Schools; Urban Education

978-0-9787383-7-2

Since 2004, the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) has tracked the postsecondary experiences of successive cohorts of graduating Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students and examined the relationship among high school preparation, support, college choice, and postsecondary outcomes. The goal of this research is to help CPS understand the determinants of students' postsecondary success and to identify key levers for improvement. The first report in this series, "From High School to the Future: A First Look at Chicago Public School Graduates' College Enrollment, College Preparation, and Graduation from Four-Year Colleges," [see ED499368] provided a baseline of where CPS stood as a school system. The first report suggested that "high schools must pay attention to guidance and support if students are to translate qualifications into college enrollment," but that report did not provide evidence to help educators think about how to do this. The purpose of this second report is to begin to fill this gap by looking closely at the ways in which students who aspire to attend four-year colleges participate in the college search and application process. It examines whether CPS students who aspire to four-year colleges are effectively participating in the college search and application process and where they encounter potholes on the road to college. Drawing on prior research, it examines both how students manage the college application process and what types of colleges students apply to and ultimately enroll in. First, are CPS students who aspire to attend a four-year college taking the steps they need to enroll in a four-year college? Second, do CPS students effectively participate in college search and get the support they need to make informed choices about what colleges they could apply to and what colleges may best fit their needs? A critical goal of this report is to understand where CPS students encounter difficulty and success as they navigate the college search and application process, as well as the extent to which high school educators can create environments that support students in thoroughly engaging in this process. The following are appended: (1) Description of Selectivity Ratings Used in This Report; (2) Data Used in This Report; (3) Adjusting for Missing NSC [National Student Clearinghouse] Data; (4) Variables Used in This Analysis; (5) Models Used in This Report; and (6) Summary of College Planning Websites. (Contains 2 tables, 35 figures, and 78 endnotes.) [This report was written with Karen Roddie, Jamiliyah Gilliam, and Desmond Patton. For "From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College. Case Studies," see ED500518. For "From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College. Executive Summary," see ED500677.]

ERIC

75

ED506465

2008

ED500519