This failure or refusal to prepare for college is also among the factors cited by those who say that “money’s not enough” to ensure college access and success for low-income students. In addition to financial aid, they say, significant nonfinancial factors affect college attendance: aspiration, preparation, information and encouragement.
Researchers say that many high school graduates — especially those whose parents did not attend college — do not continue their education because they lack information about the steps they need to take to prepare for and apply to college. Other students enroll, but then fail to remain in school, researchers say.
Some analysts cite inadequate academic preparation as a major reason many drop out before earning a degree. A number of programs have been created to address the dual problems of inadequate information and preparation. One such program is College Goal Sunday, a volunteer effort promoted by an in-depth information campaign. It culminates when financial aid professionals in several states set aside one afternoon in February to assist low-income families in filling out the application for federal financial aid.
While a faculty member at Harvard University, Tom Kane worked with colleague Christopher Avery to create another such effort, the College Opportunity and Career Help (COACH) Program, in three Boston high schools. The program sends graduate-student volunteers into the high schools to help seniors understand exactly what they must do to apply to college. The volunteers work with the seniors to fill out applications and financial aid forms.
Kane, now at UCLA, says it is too early to determine whether the program has had measurable impact. But he has found that, for the seniors who are engaged in the program, aspirations are not the issue. “If anything, the aspirations of kids in our study are too high given their academic preparation; they are expecting to go to college at unrealistically high rates,” he says. Another problem for these students, Kane believes, “is knowing what concrete steps to take during their senior year to make the transition to college. It may be the first time they have to fill out such complicated forms, and lots of kids would never make much progress unless they had someone constantly reminding them to fill out the forms.”
Kane acknowledges that better academic preparation might ultimately prove to be even more important in getting youngsters ready for college than the information and support the COACH program provides. But, he says, “our idea is to start with the easiest, least costly approach and work backwards.”
Other programs around the country help students prepare for college well before they reach their senior year in high school.
The federally funded GEAR-UP program provides grants to states, colleges and school systems to reach out to students beginning in middle school and continuing through high school.
Kemal Atkins, director of a GEAR-UP program in Chapel Hill, N.C., works with about 6,000 students in 15 school districts that have a high proportion of low-income students. The program advises students on what high school courses to take, tutors those who need help, and takes students on campus visits to provide them with exposure to college. “For the students, the admissions process is a mystery,” says Atkins. “We inform them about the process” and get their families involved.
Before joining GEAR-UP, Atkins was affiliated with a similar outreach program in Charlotte, N.C. There, he found that “each step that students complete in the process of preparing for college increases the likelihood that they will enroll.” He also learned that helping to resolve difficult family issues can make a major difference in whether a student goes to college.
He recounts the case of a bright youngster who “came from an unstable home with eight or nine people coming in and out of the small house where he lived with his mother.” In that unstable environment, says Atkins, “his grades started to slip. We had advisers and counselors who helped him get into a more stable home situation with family friends. We monitored his progress at school, set up campus visits and helped him prepare for speaking competitions. We also helped him with financial aid applications. We had to go through a lot with the IRS and financial aid offices.” All of the effort paid off when the youngster enrolled at North Carolina State University, where he is now a junior.
