Preparing High School Students for College: An Exploratory Study of College Readiness Partnership Programs in Texas
Author: Barnett, Elisabeth A.
Date: 2012-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Preparation,High School Students,College Readiness,Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,High Schools,Colleges,At Risk Students,Program Descriptions,Classification,Barriers

The current study examines a number of college readiness partnership programs operating  in Texas and identifies their features, targeted students, and intended outcomes. It also  examines the partnerships that created these programs. The findings presented here are  based on a search and analysis of the relevant research and Texas policy literature, an online  scan of college readiness partnership programs in Texas with a web presence, and site visits  to high schools, colleges, and community-based organizations in the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. The authors observed that most college readiness partnership programs  could be classified into two types: those that focused on academic subjects and those that  focused on college knowledge. The former tended to be intensive, short-term programs that  targeted a small group of students and provided a direct experience of college; the latter  tended to be light-touch, long-term programs that were open to all students and provided  little direct experience of college. Although few rigorous evaluations of these programs have been conducted, their potential to improve college readiness for students in the &quot;academic middle&quot; is generally supported by the literature and the research presented here. The authors identify a number of implications for college readiness partnership programs and the partnerships themselves. It is clear that college readiness partnerships create opportunities for secondary and postsecondary institutions to leverage each other's services, eliminating redundant services and aligning programming to maximize gains for students. In some cases, college readiness partnership programs also lead to long-lasting relationships between institutions and continued collaboration. College readiness partnership programs may have the best chance of improving outcomes if commonly encountered challenges--such as issues related to student recruitment and program sustainability--are considered early in the planning stages. The authors emphasize the value of choosing interventions that show the greatest promise in a given context and matching students to the interventions that best meet their needs; they also note that building a stronger evidence base would enhance high schools' and colleges' ability to make sound decisions about which potential program models to implement. Appended are: (1) Site Visit Program Descriptions; and (2) Scan Summary of Local College Readiness Partnership Programs. Individual chapters contain footnotes. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.) [This paper was written with Heather D. Wathington, Joshua Pretlow, Beth Hustedt, Nikki Edgecombe, Alissa Gardenhire, and Nicole Clabaugh. For &quot;Preparing High School Students for College: An Exploratory Study of College Readiness Partnership Programs in Texas. Executive Summary,&quot; see ED532398.]