From High School to College: Removing Barriers for Maine Students
July 2007
Introduction 1Overview 2ExecutiveSummary 3PartI.CollegeEnrollmentTrends 6PartII.SurveyandInterviewFindings 8 Social/CulturalIssues 9 AcademicPreparation 12 FinancialIssues 17 CareerandCollegePlanning 19 RealExperienceswiththeTransition 22PartIII.PromisingPractices 23PartIV.ImplicationsandRecommendations 30 EightWaystoMakeaDifference 30
“Policymakers and the public should focus attention on how to raisethe fraction of American youth who complete high school and then goon for a college education.”
–EconomistsGaryBeckerandKevinMurphy,“TheUpsideofIncomeInequality,”May/June2007,www.american.com.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThankstothefundersofthisproject,theNellie Mae Education FoundationandBank of America.InparticularwethankBlendaWilsonandNancyMeagher.ThankstoMitchellInstituteDirectorsBillHiss,BarbaraKeefe,ShepLee,JoyceMcPhetres,andMargeMedd.ThankstoLisaHallenforcreatingtheinterviewprotocolsandprovidingvaluablefeedbackontheproject.ThankstoPanAtlanticSMSGroup,inparticularKatieBowen,DavidGlassman,andPatrickMurphy.AtBowdoinCollege,thankstofacultyandstaffmembersAllenDelong,SusieDorn,andNancyRileyandtostudentresearchersSaraAfienko,MichelBamani,DustinBrooks,JamieBurwood,Thu-NgaHo,NateLovitz,JessMcGree-han,CatiMitchell,andAishaWoodward.AtBatesCollege,thankstofacultyandstaffmembersGeorgiaNigroandChrisCarrick,andstudentresearchersJaneMellors,BethanyMitchell,JennyStasio,andChristineWicks.AtUMaine,thankstoElizabethAllen.AtUMaineMachias,thankstoCarolWolf.Thankstoallthehighschoolsthatallowedusaccesstotheirstudentsandprovidedspaceforinterviews.ThanksalsotoDukeAlbanese,WendyAult,SueBell,HenryBourgeois,TarrenBragdon,JimBreece,NormHiggins,DurwardHuffman,KatherineReilly,andDavidRuffforsuggestionsaswedevelopedthisproject.ThankstoSteveMason,LauraRoyandCharlieJacobsenatSwardlickMarketingGroupfordesigningthereport.
Special thanks to Colleen Quint for her guidance and contributions. Lisa Plimpton is the author of this report. Any mistakes are her own.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ThegoalsoftheMitchellInstitute’sinitialBarriersstudyweretoexplorethegapbetweenMaine’sstronghighschoolcompletionrateanditsbelowaveragecollege-goingrate,andtoidentifystrategiesformakingcollegemoreaccessibletoMainestudents.Thatprojectincludedfocusgroupswithhighschoolstudents;anonlinesurveyofeducators;andtelephonesurveysof2,200parents,highschooljuniorsandseniors,andrecenthighschoolgraduatesfromacrossthestate.Itresultedinthe2002reportBarriers to Postsecondary Education in Maine: Making College the Obvious and Attain-able Next Step for More Maine Students.SincethereleaseofthefirstBarriersreport,intenttoenrollincollegeamongMainehighschoolgraduateshassteadilyincreasedbutactualenrollmentincollegehasnot.Thisgrowinggapbetweencollegeintentionsandenrollmentisthefocusofthecurrentstudy,From High School to College: Removing Barriers for Maine Students(“Barriers2”).
In2006,theMitchellInstitutereceivedgrantsfromtheNellieMaeEducationFoundationandBankofAmericatofundtheBarriers2study.Theresearchincluded:
• Maine College Enrollment Data Set:WeinvitedeachMainehighschooltoprovideelectronicrecordsfortheirgradu-atessince2001.Theserecordswerematchedwithcollegeenrollmentrecordsnationwidethroughthe“StudentTracker”serviceoftheNationalStudentClearinghouse,acollegeenrollmentanddegreeverificationservicethatincludes92%ofthenation’scollegesanduniversities.Nearlythree-quarters(73%)ofMaine’s131publichighschools—96schools—signedontoparticipateintheprojectandreceivetheStudentTrackerservicefreeofcharge,includingsemester-by-semesterrecordsofgraduates’enrollmentincollegeanddegreesearned.Ultimately,81schools(62%)provideddata,andweaggregatedtheirenrollmentandgraduationreportstocreatestatewideestimates.
• Interviews:TheMitchellInstituteworkedwithfacultyandstudentsatBatesandBowdoinCollegesandtheUniversityofMainetoconductqualitativeresearchwithhighschool
studentsandrecentgraduatesthroughoutMaine.Groupin-terviewswereheldwithjuniorsandseniorsat19MainehighschoolsandstudentsatoneMainecollegecampus.Severalhighschoolgraduateswhodidnotgotocollegeparticipatedinindividualinterviews.Theinterviewsexploredattitudesaboutcollege,experiences,andthekeyfactorsthathelpsomestudentssuccessfullymakethetransitionfromhighschooltocollegeand,conversely,thebarriersthatpreventothersfromrealizingtheircollegeplans.
• Surveys:PanAtlanticSMSGroup,aPortland-basedmarketresearchfirm,conductedsurveysof1,145MaineHighSchoolEducators,67CollegeAdministrators,900Parents,800Students,and390YoungAdultswhorecentlygradu-atedfromMainehighschools.Someques-tionsfromthe2001surveyswererepeatedtogaugewhetherandhowthingshavechangedoverthepastfiveyears.Newques-tionswereaddedtoprobemoredeeplyintoperceptionsandexperiencesofthetransitionfromhighschooltocollege.
• Profiles:Weinterviewedexpertstoidentifyschools,programs,andcommunitieswithpromisingpracticesforhelpingstudentstorealizetheircollegeintentions.Throughsitevisitsandinterviews,wecreatedprofilesofsomeoftheacademicpractices,counselingandinformationservices,policies,andstructuresthateffectivelyhelpstudentsmakesuccessfultransitionsfromhighschooltocollege.
INTRODUCTION
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This full report is a summary of dozens of hours of interview transcripts and hundreds of pages of data tables and spreadsheets. While there are many layers of detail and analysis we delve into, we want to be sure we leave no doubt regarding the most important messages to take away from this research project.
Major Themes
• Maine has made important progress in the last five years.Communityencouragementforcollegehasincreased,asize-ablenumberofMainehighschoolshavechangedacademictrackingpractices(potentiallyallowingmorestudentsaccesstoarigorouscurriculum),morehighschoolstudentsaregainingexposuretocollege,moreparentsaregettinginvolvedinhelpingstudentsplanforthefuture,andmoreschoolsareembeddingcollegeandcareerplanningactivitiesintotheirday-to-daywork.Evenascollegeaspirationshaveincreased,however,actualmatriculationhasstayedflat,andevendroppedabitlastyear.
• A student’s academic track in school matters a great deal.ThedataclearlyshowthatstudentsinaGeneral/Voca-tionaltrackarelesschallengedintheclassroom,receivelessencouragementaboutcollege,experiencelesseffectivecareerplanningpracticesatschool,andfeellesspreparedforlifeafterhighschoolthandostudentsinanHonors/AdvancedPlacement(AP)orCollegePreparatorytrack.General/Voca-tionaltrackstudentsarelesslikelytoaspiretocollegeandtobelievethattheirparentsexpectthemtoattendcollege,andthestrengthoftheirconvictionsthatcollegeisattainableissignificantlylower.
• Parental educational attainment has a critical influence on student experience.Thereisastrongcorrelationbe-tweenastudent’sacademictrackandhisparents’educationlevel.Parents’educationhasanevenstrongerinfluenceontheirbeliefsaboutthefinancialfeasibilityofcollegethandoeshouseholdincome.
• Geographic differences persist. NorthernMainesup-portsandvalueseducationandhasmadesignificantstridesexpandingearlycollegeopportunities.SouthernMainestill
experiencesthebenefitsofamorehighly-educatedpopula-tion,suchaswidespreadexpectationsthatcollegeisthenextstepafterhighschoolandahighdegreeofparentalinvolve-mentatschool.CoastalMainetendstovaluecollegelesshighlythandotheotherregions,studentshavemoreexperi-encehandlingresponsibilities,andparentsheretendtobelessinvolvedinplanningforthefuture.InCentral/WesternMaine,thestrengthofconvictionsregardingtheattainabilityandimportanceofcollegeislower,andthisregionoftenlagswhenitcomestotakingtimely,concretestepstoplanforstudents’futures.
• Gender differences are clear.Malestudentshavelessconfidenceabouttheirfutureplansthanfemalestudentsdo.Someeducatorssaythatpracticesintheirschoolsaswellascommunityandpersonalcharacteristicsmaketheacademicprogramattheirhighschoolslesseffectiveformalethanforfemalestudents.
• Maine families do not know enough about how to pay for college.Farfewerstudentscompletefinancialaidapplica-tionsthanareeligibletoreceiveaid.Educatorsacknowledgethatschoolsarenotaseffectiveathelpingstudentsunder-standcollegefinancesastheyareatinformingthemaboutcollegeoptions.
Promising Practices
• Early College:Aneducationstrategythatcutsacrossacademictrack,familybackground,gender,andgeography,dualcreditearlycollegeprogramsgivehighschoolstudentsatasteofcollege-levelwork,exposuretoacollegecampus,andachancetoearncredittowardacollegedegree.
• Strategic Structures in Schools:Embeddingcareerandcollegeplanningintoclassroomandadvisingsystems,creat-ingcareerandcollegecentersatschool,includingPSATandSATpreparationaspartofclassroominstruction,andteam-ingofteacherstoprovidetransitionalsupporttostudentsareexamplesofschoolpracticesthathaveapositiveimpact.
• Hands-on, Concrete, Kid- and Family-Focused Pro-grams: On-the-groundhelpsuchasfacilitatingcollegevisits,mentoringprograms,CollegeGoalSunday,andsummerpro-gramsforstudentswhohavejustgraduatedallhavepromiseforensuringthatmorestudentsmakesuccessfultransitionsfromhighschooltocollege.
O V E R V I E W
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“The big thing that teachers emphasized which I never fully understood about college until now was it isn’t all about hitting the books; it is about maturing and doing it in a place where there is a diverse array of opportunities, cultures, thoughts, and experiences that are all at your fingertips.” —a Maine college student
College Intentions and Enrollment
DespitegrowingproportionsofMaine’shighschoolgraduatesreportingintentionstoenrollimmediatelyincollege,Mainehasnotseenincreasesincollegeenrollmentamongourrecenthighschoolgraduates.Thishascausedagrowinggapbetweencollegeintentionsandactualcollegeenrollmentoverthelastseveralyears.Therateofcollegeenrollmentwithinoneyearaftergraduatingfromhighschooldippedtoalowof57%in2006.ThecollegeenrollmentrateamongMaine’shighschoolgraduatesislowerthanboththeU.S.andNewEnglandaverages.
Whilethegapbetweencollegeintentionsandenrollmentisofconcern,theproportionofcollegestudentswhopersistandeventuallyearnadegreeisequallytroubling.Wefindthatwithinseveralyearsafterhighschoolgraduation,onlyabouttwo-thirdsasmanystudentsasinitiallyenrolledincollegeareeithercurrentlyenrolledorhavecompletedacollegedegree.
Key Changes Since 2001
Thenewroundofsurveysrevealedanumberofchangesfromfiveyearsago:
• Fewereducatorsreportthatstudentsintheirschoolsareplacedintoacademictracks(54%comparedwith71%in2001).Twoinfiveeducatorssaythatthetrackingorabilitygroupingpracticesintheirschoolhavechangedinthepastfiveyears.
• MoreParents(71%comparedwith55%)andYoungAdults(55%comparedwith44%)agreethattheircommunitystrivestoencourageyoungpeopletoconsiderattendingcollege.
• MoreStudentsagreethattheirparentsareactivelyplanning
waystofinancetheircollegeeducation,andthattheyhavehadseriousdiscussionswithparentsandguidancecounselorsaboutwhattheyplantodoafterhighschool.
• Studentsaremorelikelytoagreethat“HowwellIdoinhighschoolisveryimportanttomyfuture”and“Ioftenspendtimethinkingaboutandplanningmyfuture.”
• MoreStudentsreportthattheyaregettinghelpfromteach-erswithpost-highschoolplanning,andthattheirparentshavetakenthemtovisitacollegecampus.
• MoreStudentsreportthattheirschoolsnowofferactivitiessuchasexploringcareersaspartofclasstime,collegecampusvisitsarrangedbyschool,andpreparingforthePSATandSATduringschooltime.
• Parentsaremuchmorelikelytosaythatastudent’sparentsarethemostresponsibleforplanningwhatthestudentwilldoafterhighschool(45%comparedwith26%in2001),andarelesslikelytosaythestudentisthemostresponsible(50%comparedwith67%in2001).
Social/Cultural Issues
• StrongmajoritiesofParentsandHighSchoolEducatorsagreethattheircommunitystrivestoencourageyoungpeopletoconsiderattendingcollegeandthatacollegeeducationisveryvaluableintheircommunity.AgreementthatacollegeeducationisveryvaluableisstrongestintheSouthandweak-estinCoastalMaine.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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• 85%ofhighschooljuniorsandseniorssurveyedexpecttogotoatwo-orfour-yearcollegerightafterhighschool.Justoverthree-quarters(77%)ofParentsexpecttheirchildtoat-tendatwo-yearorfour-yearcollegedirectlyafterhighschool.
• Morethantwo-thirds(68%)ofStudentsstronglyagreethatacollegeeducationisattainableforthem.StudentsinanHonors/APtrackinschoolagreethemoststrongly(78%),followedbyCollegePrep(65%)andthenGeneral/Vocational(46%)trackStudents.
• OnlyoneintenStudentsagreesthattheydon’tneedtogotocollegetogetagoodjob.StudentsinCentral/West-ernMainearethemostlikelytoagree,followedbythoseinCoastalandSouthern,thenNorthernMaine.
Academic Preparation
• Justoverone-half(56%)ofMaineHighSchoolEducatorssaythattheirschoolsplacestudentsintoacademictracksbasedonperceivedabilities,one-quarterdonottrackstu-dents,andaboutone-in-fivefallsomewhereinbetween.WefindthatthereareawidevarietyoftrackingsystemsinMaineschools,somemoreflexiblethanothers.Largerschoolsaremorelikelythansmallerschoolstotrackstudents.Thetopthreecriteriausedtoplacestudentsintotracksareteacherrecommendations,parents’preferences,andgradesinmathcourses.
• Threeinfiveeducators(59%)ratetheirschoolasatleastsomewhateffectiveatpreparingstudentsforsuccessincollegeandtheworkplace.EducatorsaretwiceaslikelytoratetheirschoolveryorsomewhateffectiveatpreparingHonors/APtrackstudentsasGeneral/Vocationaltrackstudents.
• Two-thirdsofStudentsreportthattheyhavetakenorwilltakeanadvancedmathcourse.Honors/APtrackStudentsaremorelikelythanCollegePrepStudentsandnearlythreetimesaslikelyasthoseinaGeneral/Vocationaltracktoreporttak-inganadvancedmathcourse.TakingayearofmathbeyondAlgebra2isstronglyassociatedwithsuccessincollege.
• Thereisgrowingevidencethatstudentsneedcomparablelevelsofreadingandmathskillsforsuccessincollegeandtheworkplace.Studentsappeartobetheleastawareofthis,fol-lowedbyParentsandYoungAdults,HighSchoolEducators,andCollegeAdministrators.
• HighSchoolEducatorsindicatethatschoolfactorssuchascurriculathatdonotengagestudentsandlackofinterac-tivelearningopportunitiesmaketheacademicprogramlesseffectiveformalethanforfemalestudentsinsomeschools.One-thirdofEducatorsreportthat“Socially,itisnot‘cool’tobestudious”formalestudents,whileone-quartersaythatthisistrueforbothfemaleandmalestudentsattheirschool.
Financial Issues
• AboutthreeintenParents(29%)saythatfinancesarelikelytobethedeterminingfactorinwhethertheirchildattendscollege,asdo30%ofStudents.Nearlytwo-thirds(64%)ofParentssaythatfinancesarelikelytobethedeterminingfac-torinwhichcollegetheirchildattends,comparedwithabouthalf(49%)ofStudents.
• StudentsaremoreconfidentthanParentsareabouthowwellparentsunderstandthefinancialaidapplicationprocessandthatparentsareactivelyplanningwaystopayforcollege.
• Students,YoungAdults,andParentsprovidelowerratingsofstudentpreparationformanagingpersonalfinancesandbudgetsthanforotherlifeskills,suggestingthatMainehighschoolgraduatesneedadditionaleducationandexposuretomanagingfinances.
• One-quarter(24%)ofHighSchoolEducatorsratetheirschool’sprogrammingregardingcollegefinancingasveryadequate,significantlylowerthanthe38%thatratetheirschool’sprogrammingregardinghighereducationoptionsasveryadequate.
• Atcommunitycolleges,60%ofAdministratorssaythatnegotiatingthefinancialaidprocessisasomewhatsignificantbarriertostudentsenrolling,andanother20%saythatitisaverysignificantbarrier.Amongfour-yearCollegeAdminis-trators,53%saythatnegotiatingthefinancialaidprocessisasomewhatsignificantbarrier,and4%sayitisaverysignifi-cantbarriertoenrolling.
College Planning
• Studentssaythatthetopthreeschoolactivitiesthathavebeenmosthelpfultotheminplanningforthefutureare:preparingforthePSATorSATduringtheschoolday,collegefairs,andregularguidancecounselormeetings.
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• One-halfofStudentssaytheirparentshavehadameet-ingwithguidanceaboutpost-highschoolplanning,andjustoverhalfofParentswithachildin11thor12thgradesaythattheyhavehadsuchameetingwiththeirchild’sguidancecounselor.ParentsinCentral/WesternMaineandParentsofGeneral/Vocationaltrackstudentsarelesslikelythantheirdemographiccohortstosaythattheyhavehadapost-highschoolplanningmeetingwiththeguidancecounselor.
• 45%ofStudentschooseparentsasthemosthelpfulresourceinpost-highschoolplanning,followedbyteachers(21%),andguidancecounselors(12%).MostParentsandStudentsagreethatparentsareveryinvolvedinhelpingplanforthefuture.Therearestrongcorrelationswithacademictrackandparents’education;ParentsofstudentsinHonors/APandCollegePreptracksandmore-educatedParentsaremorelikelytobeveryinvolvedintheirchildren’sfutureplanning.
• AmongYoungAdults,currentcollegestudentsaremorethantwiceaslikely(64%)tosaythattheybeganplanningforthefutureearlyenoughasarethosewhodidnotgotocollege(28%).Nearlyone-half(46%)oftheCollegeAdministratorssurveyedsaystudentsshouldbeginplanningforcollegepriorto9thgrade.Incontrast,onlyone-quarterofStudentssaythattheybeganhavingseriousdiscussionswithparentsaboutfutureplansbeforetheyenteredhighschool.
Promising Practices
AnumberofpracticesthatpromisetohelpmorestudentsmakesuccessfultransitionsfromhighschooltocollegeareinplaceinMaineschoolsandcommunities.Manyoftheschoolsweprofilehaveacombinationofpracticesinplacetoaddresspreparationofallstudentsforcollegeandcareers.Manyofthepracticesinvolvepartnershipsbetweenhighschoolsandcolleges.
Practices that address multiple barriers to college include:
• Dualenrollmentearlycollegeprogramsinwhichstudentstakecollegecoursesfordualhighschoolandcollegecredit.Theseprogramsgivehighschoolstudentsatasteofcollege-levelwork,exposuretoacollegecampus,andachancetoearncredittowardacollegedegree.
• Collegeandcareercentersatschoolthatprovidestudentswithresourcesandone-on-onehelpwithcareerexploration,collegeselection,andfinancialaidapplications.
Practices that address academic barriers to college include:
• Advisoryprogramsandstudent/facultyteamsthatfostersustainedconnectionsbetweenstudentsandfacultyandallowforconnectionsandcoordinationacrossthecurriculum.
• Seniorseminarsthatfocusonpreparationforlifeafterhighschool,includingthingslikecareerresearch,mentoring,andcollegeessaywriting.
Practices that address social and cultural barriers to college include:
• Collegecampusvisitsorganizedbyschoolsforallstudents.
• Collegeintroductionprogramsforhighschoolstudentsorganizedandsponsoredbyacollegecampus.
Practices that address financial barriers to college include:
• TheFinanceAuthorityofMaine’sCollegeGoalSunday,wherefamiliesgethelpcompletingfinancialaidforms.
• Acommunity-widecommitteeinvolvinglocalbusinessesthathasdesignedprogramstoraiseparents’awarenessaboutfinancialpreparationforcollegeearly.
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College Intentions and Actual Enrollment
DespitegrowingproportionsofMaine’shighschoolgraduatesreportingintentionstoenrollimmediatelyincollege,Mainehasnotseenincreasesincollegeenrollmentamongourrecenthighschoolgraduates.ComparingthenumberofMainehighschoolgraduateseachyear(roughly14,000)tothenumberofstudentswhoenteredninthgradefiveyearsearlier,wefindthatMaine’shighschoolgraduationratewas74%in2001andhadrisento78%by2005.Thiscomparesfavorablytothenationalaverage,whichrosefrom67%to70%overthesametimeperiod(NationalCenterforHigherEducationManage-mentSystemsatwww.higheredinfo.org).
Eachyear,Maine’shighschoolsreportthepostsecondaryeducationplansoftheirgraduatingclassestotheMaineDepartmentofEducation(thesourceofthe“intent”lineinFigure1.1).Dataoncollegeenrollmentwithinthenextyear,showninthe“actual”line,comefromournewdatasetoncollegeenrollmentamonggraduatesfrom81Mainehighschools.Theparticipatingschoolsmakeup62%ofallMainepublichighschools.TheyareevenlydistributedthroughoutthefourregionsofMaine,andcloselymatchthestateintermsoftheproportionsofsmall,medium,andlargeschools.OurcollegeenrollmentestimatesareaggregatesofschoolreportsfromtheNationalStudentClearinghouse(NSC),anonprofitcollegeenrollmentanddegreeverificationservicethathousesenrollmentrecordsfrom92%ofU.S.collegesanduniversities.
Figure 1.1: College-Going among Maine High School Graduates
Source for intent data: Maine Department of Education atwww.state.me.us/education/enroll/grads/gradspost.htm
Because the proportion of graduates reporting intentions to enroll in college has grown while actual college enroll-ment has not, there has been a growing gap over the last several years between college intent and enrollment.Thegapbetweenintentionsandenrollmentgrewfromtwoper-centagepointsin2001totenpercentagepointsin2005(seeFigure1.1).In2006,collegeenrollmentdippedtoalowof57%ofthegraduatingclass.
Directlycomparablenationaldataoncollegeintentionsamonghighschoolgraduatesarenotavailable.Similarly,statewideestimatesbasedonNationalStudentClearing-housecollegeenrollmentrecordsarenotcurrentlyavailable.50-statedataonimmediatecollegeenrollmentamonghighschoolgraduates,however,suggestthatMaine’scollege-goingrateislowerthanboththeNewEnglandandnationalaver-ages(www.higheredinfo.org).
Initial College Enrollment
Ourcollegeenrollmentdataincludeinformationonthetypeofinstitutionstudentsenrollin,location,andenrollmentstatus.In 2006, of those who enrolled in college, more than two in five (44%) entered a four-year public institution, one-third (33%) enrolled in a four-year private college, and just over one in five (22%) enrolled in a two-year public college.Fully93%ofthesecollegestudentswereenrolledfull-time,with5%enrolledhalf-time,and2%enrolledlessthanhalf-time.Nearly two-thirds (65%) of 2006 graduates who went to college enrolled in Maine colleges, and 35% enrolled in colleges outside Maine.
Trendsininitialcollegeenrollmentshowsomeregionaldif-ferences,asshowninFigure1.2.
Figure 1.2: Initial College Enrollment by Region
50%
60%
70%
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year of Graduation
Central/WestCoastal/Downeast
North
South
Intent
Actual
IntentActual
64% 70%69%68%67%62% 62%62% 61%
57%60%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
40%
60%
80%
100%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
64%70%69%68%67%
62% 62%62% 61%57%
60%
1Notallschoolsprovidedgraduatedataforeveryyear.Thenumbersofhighschoolsincludedinourestimatesbyyearare:50in2001,63in2002,70in2003,78in2004,77in2005,and78in2006.Thenumbersofgraduatesattheseschoolsare5053in2001,7195in2002,8258in2003,9285in2004,8819in2005,and9136in2006.2Thedataonintenttoenrollincollegearenotyetavailableforthe2006graduatingclass.
PART I. COLLEGE ENROLLMENT TRENDS
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MAINE REGION DEFINITIONSCentral/Western Maine: Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, and Oxford CountiesCoastal/Downeast Maine: Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and Washington CountiesNorthern Maine: Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Somerset CountiesSouthern Maine: Cumberland and York Counties
College Persistence and Graduation
Whilethegapbetweencollegeintentionsandactualenroll-mentisofconcern,theproportionofcollegestudentswhopersistandeventuallyearnadegreeisequallytroubling.Figure1.3showstherecenttrendsininitialcollegeenroll-ment(definedasenrollingwithinoneyearafterhighschoolgraduation)andcurrentenrollmentpluscollegegraduationasofMay2007.Thecurrentenrollmentfiguresincludestudentswhodidnotenrollwithinthefirstyearofgraduation,butenteredcollegelater.Workingbackfrom2006to2001,thechartshowsthatwithinseveralyearsafterhighschoolgradu-ation,onlyabouttwo-thirdsasmanystudentsasinitiallyenrolledincollegeareeithercurrentlyenrolledorhavecom-pletedacollegedegree.Forexample,61%oftheclassof2004enrolledincollegewithinoneyear.InMay2007,41%oftheclasswascurrentlyenrolledincollegeand2%hadcompletedacollegedegree,foratotalof43%.Evenwithinthegraduat-ingclassof2006,ofwhich57%enrolledincollegewithinoneyear,theproportionstillenrolledincollegehaddroppedto51%byMay2007.
Figure 1.3: Initial College Enrollment compared with Current Enrollment plus Graduation
Note: Initial Enrollment is within one year of graduation.Current Enrollment + Graduation is as of May 2007.
Again,otherstatesdonothavestrictlycomparabledatasets.Nationaldataoncollegeretentionandcompletion,however,showthatMaine’slossofcollegestudentsbeforegraduationisnotunique(seeFigure1.4).MainefaresslightlybetterthantheUnitedStatesandNewEnglandintermsofcommunitycollegeretentionanddegreecompletion,justbelowaverageforfour-yearcollegeretention,andbetweenthenationalandNewEnglandaveragesforbachelor’sdegreecompletion.
Figure 1.4: College Retention and Completion
Maine NewEngland U.S.
Retention of community college students to the second year ��.�% �8.�% ��.�%
Retention of bachelor’s degree students to the second year ��.�% 80.�% ��.8%
Three-year associate degree completion rate ��.�% ��.�% �9.�%
Six-year bachelor’s degree completion rate ��.�% ��.�% ��.8%
Source: www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/index.php?measure=19
Conclusions
• IntentionstoenrollincollegeamongMaine’shighschoolgraduateshavebeengrowingduringthisdecade,butactualcollegeenrollmentrateshavedeclinedslightly,resultinginagrowinggapbetweencollegeintentionsandenrollment.In2005,70%ofthegraduatingclassindicatedintenttoenrollincollege,and60%actuallyenrolledinatwo-orfour-yeardegreeprogramwithinoneyear.• Theproportionofenteringcollegestudentsthatdoesnotpersistandearnadegree,roughlyoneinthree,isanequallyimportantproblem,bothinMaineandaroundtheUnitedStates.
62%60% 61% 62% 62%57%
42% 41%42%46% 43%
51%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001Year of Graduation
Initial College EnrollmentCurrent Enrollment + Graduation
Pro
port
ion
of G
radu
atin
g C
lass
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Methodology
TheMitchellInstitutecommissionedaresearchfirm,PanAtlanticSMSGroup,toconductaseriesoffivesurveysaspartofthisstudy.ThesurveyswereconductedbetweenNovember2006andFebruary2007.PanAtlanticSMSGroupdevelopedcrosstabulations,analyzeddescriptivestatistics,andprovidedadditionalanalysisforthisproject.• TelephonesurveyswereconductedwithStudents(Mainehighschooljuniorsandseniors)andParentsofMainestudentsingrades7-12,selectedusingstratifiedstatewidesamplingplans.• YoungAdultsages18-25weresurveyed,firstbytelephone,then,afterdifficultyobtainingYoungAdultstointerview,asamailsurveystratifiedbycounty.Theresponserateforthemailportionofthissurveywas11.8%(356of3,017completed).• HighSchoolEducatorsweresurveyedonlineusingalistofallsecondaryschoolteachersandguidancecounselorsacquiredfromtheMaineDepartmentofEducation.Theresponserateforthissurveywas19.1%(1,145of5,990com-pleted).• CollegeAdministratorsweresurveyedonline.TheMitchellInstituteidentifiedAdministratorswhoworkinFinancialAid,Admissions,andotherofficesthatmanageprospectiveandfirstyearstudentsateachofMaine’stwo-andfour-yearcollegesanduniversities.Theresponserateforthissurveywas53.6%(67of125completed).
Margin of Error Calculations
Students(��th-��th
grade)
Parents (�th-��th
grade)
Young Adults (�8-�� years)
High School Educa-
tors
College Adminis-trators
Sample 800 900 �90 �,��� ��
Population ��,��� ���,09� ���,��� �,990 ���
Margin of Error (+/-) �.��% �.��% �.9�% �.�0% 8.�9%
Source for parent & student population estimate: Maine DOE, 2006Source for high school educator population estimate: Maine DOE database of secondary teachers & guidance counselorsYoung adult population estimate derived from 2000 U.S. Census Data
TheMitchellInstitutealsoworkedwithfacultyandstaffatBatesCollege,BowdoinCollege,andtheUniversityofMainetoidentifystudentresearcherstoconductqualitativeresearchfortheBarriers2study.Atotalofthirteenundergradu-atestudentresearchersfromBatesandBowdoinconductedgroupinterviewswithhighschooljuniorsandseniors.AUniversityofMainegraduatestudentalsoconductedgroupinterviews.BetweenNovember2006andFebruary2007,groupinterviewswereheldat19Mainehighschools:Bruns-wick,Deering,GeorgeStevens,Hodgdon,Lawrence,Leavitt,Lewiston,Lubec,Machias,Marshwood,Messalonskee,MountArarat,Portland,Skowhegan,SouthPortland,SouthernAroostook,Traip,Waterville,andWinslow.Wealsointer-viewedagroupofcollegestudentsattheUniversityofMaineatMachias.SeveralyoungadultswhograduatedfromMainehighschoolsinCumberland,Sagadahoc,Washington,andYorkCountiesparticipatedinindividualinterviews.
PART II. SURVEY AND INTERVIEW FINDINGS
SURVEY SAMPLE PROFILES
Region
Central/WestAndroscoggin
Franklin, KennebecOxford
CoastalHancock, Knox,
Lincoln, SagadahocWaldo, Washington
NorthernAroostook, Penobscot
PiscataquisSomerset
SouthernCumberland
York
Students (N=800) ��.�% ��.�% ��.�% ��.�%
Young Adults (N=�90) ��.�% ��.9% ��.0% ��.9%
Parents (N=900) ��.0% �8.�% ��.�% ��.�%
High School Educators (N=�,���) ��.�% ��.�% ��.�% ��.�%
Maine population (�,���,���) ��.9% �8.�% ��.9% ��.�%
9
Key Findings
Mainestudentsfacedifferentcombinationsofbothbarrierstocollegeandassetsthathelpthemmakesuccessfultransi-tionstocollege.Wedividetheseintothreebroadcategories:social/culturalissues,academicpreparation,andfinancialissues.Ouranalysisexploredwhetherandhowthesefactorsdifferdependingontheregionstudentslivein,theleveloftheirparents’education,gender,familyincome,andacademictrackinschool.
SOCIAL/CULTURAL ISSUES
“If the student doesn’t feel supported to do this, it’s kind of a large burden to have on just one set of shoulders. It’s kind of nice when that weight’s distributed and they have that family support or that teacher support right behind them.” —a Maine high school student
Education and the Community
WeaskedYoungAdults,Parents,andHighSchoolEducatorswhethertheircommunitystrivestoencourageyoungpeople
SURVEY SAMPLE PROFILES
Academic Track Honors/AdvancedPlacement (AP) College Prep Vocational/General Not Tracked/ Don’t
Know
Students (N=800) ��.�% ��.�% ��.�% ��.�%
Young Adults (N=�90) ��.�% ��.9% ��.0% ��.9%
Parents (N=900) ��.0% �8.�% ��.�% ��.�%
Parents’ Education High school diploma or less
Some college, no degree
2- or 4-year college degree
Graduate work or degree
Don’t know/ Refused
Students (N=800) ��.�% ��.�% ��.8% ��.�% �.�%
Young Adults (N=�90) ��.�% �8.�% ��.9% ��.�% 0.�%
Parents (N=900)* ��.�% �9.�% ��.0% ��.�% �.�%
* Parents provided their own highest level of education and that of their spouse (if married). These data were recalculated into a new variable that represents the highest education of either parent in the household.
Gender Female Male
Students (N=800) ��% ��%
Young Adults (N=�90) �9% ��%
Parents (N=900) �0% �0%
Income Under $35,000 $35,000 - $49,999 $50,000-$74,999 $75,000-$99,999 $100,000 or more Refused
Parents (N=900) ��.�% �9.�% ��.�% ��.0% ��.�% �0.�%
High School Educators: Subject Area Science English Math
Social Studies/ History
Special Education Guidance Foreign
Language Art/ Music Technol-ogy
Physical Educa-
tion
P ��.�% ��.�% ��.8% ��.�% 8.9% �.�% �.�% �.�% �.�% �.8%
�0
toconsiderattendingcollege.HighSchoolEducatorsarethemostlikelytoagreethatthecommunityinwhichtheyteach/workstrivestoencourageyoungpeopletoconsiderattendingcollege.
Figure 2.1: “My community strives to encourage young people to consider attending college”
ThepercentageofYoungAdultswhoagreethattheircommu-nitystrivestoencourageyoungpeopletoconsiderattendingcollegeimprovedsubstantiallyoverthepastfiveyears(44%in2001to55%in2006).TheproportionofParentsagreeingthattheircommunitystrivestoencourageyoungpeopletoconsiderattendingcollegealsoincreased,from55%in2001to71%in2006.
WhilemajoritiesofEducators,Parents,andYoungAdultsagreethatacollegeeducationisveryvaluableintheircom-munity,ParentsaremorelikelythanEducatorsorYoungAdultstoagreewiththis(seeFigure2.2).Thereisregionalvariation;thoseinSouthernMainearemorelikelytostronglyagreethatacollegeeducationisveryvaluableintheircom-munitythanaretheirdemographiccohorts.WhilemostParentsagreethatacollegeeducationisveryvaluableintheircommunity,theproportiondisagreeingincreasedfrom8%in2001to15%in2006.
Figure 2.2: “A college education is very valuable in mycommunity”
All Students College-Ready
OneinfiveCollegeAdministrators(21%)agreethatallstudentsarecapableofgraduatingfromhighschoolreadyforcollege;Administratorsattwo-yearandfour-yearcollegesareequallylikelytoagree.MorethantwiceasmanyHighSchoolEducators,44%,agreethatallstudentsarecapableofgraduat-ingreadyforcollege.
Figure 2.3: “All students are capable of graduating from high school ready to go to a two- or four-year college”
TheprimaryreasonscitedbyCollegeAdministratorswhodisagreethatallstudentsarecapableofgraduatingfromhighschoolreadyforcollegeareinadequateacademicprepara-tionforcollegeandsomestudents’lackofmaturity.AmongHighSchoolEducatorswhodisagree,themainreasonsarestudents’lackofmotivationforacademicworkinhighschoolandlackofinterestinattendingcollege.
College Aspirations
More than four in five Students surveyed (85%) expect to go to a two- or four-year college right after high school (78% expect to go to four-year college and 7% expect to go to two-year college).88%ofStudentsagreethattheirparents
19%21%
56%
14%15%
70%
19%19%
61%
Young Adults
Parents
HS Educators
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Strongly agree/ Agree Neither Disagree/ Strongly disagree
21%
44%
56%
70%
Somewhat or Strongly agree
Somewhat or Strongly disagree
0% 10%
20% 30%
40% 50%
60% 70%
80% 90%
100%
College Administrators High School Educators
Young Adults
Parents
HS Educators
Year of Graduation
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Strongly agree/ Agree Neither Disagree/ Strongly disagree
17%26%
55%
15%12%
71%
12%10%
78%
��
stronglyexpectthemtoattendatwo-orfour-yearcollege.Students’collegeexpectationsareslightlyhigherthanPar-ents’;three-quarters(77%)ofParentssurveyedexpecttheirchildtoattendatwo-yearorfour-yearcollegedirectlyafterhighschool.
Students’collegeexpectationsvarydependingontheiracademictrackatschool.More than nine in ten Students (93%) in an Honors/AP track report that they plan to at-tend a four-year college, compared with 77% of College Prep track Students and 37% of General/Vocational track Students.StudentsintheGeneral/Vocationaltrackarethemostlikelytoreportplanningtoattendatwo-yearcollege(21%)oratechnical/tradeschool(13%).WeobservedsimilaracademictrackdifferencesintheexpectationsParentshavefortheirchildrenandthatYoungAdultshadwhentheywereinhighschool.StudentsandYoungAdultswhoseparentsdonothaveeducationbeyondhighschool(75%and62%,respectively)arelesslikelythanStudentsandYoungAdultswhoseparentshaveattendedcollege(87%and82%)toreportthattheyexpectorexpectedtogototwo-orfour-yearcollegedirectlyafterhighschool.
Student and Parent Attitudes toward College
Thesurveysaskedrespondentshowstronglytheyagreewithavarietyofstatementsaboutcollegeandtheirfutureplans(seeFigure2.4).Figure 2.4: Beliefs about College
ParentsaremorelikelythanStudentstostronglyagreethat:• “Howwellmychilddoesinhighschoolisveryimportant
tohisorherfuture”• “Icarealotaboutmychildgoingtocollege”and• “Ifeelthatacollegeeducationisattainableformychild.”
ParentsarelesslikelythanStudentstostronglyagreethat:• “Manyadultsinmychild’slifehaveadvisedhimorherto
attendcollege”and• “Iamapprehensiveaboutmychildgoingtocollege.”
ThestrengthofStudents’convictionsaboutmanyofthestate-mentsvarybyacademictrack,parents’education,region,andgender.StudentsinanHonors/APtrackaremorelikelythanCollegePrepandGeneral/VocationalStudentstoagreethat:• “Growingup,IalwaysassumedIwouldsomeday
attendcollege.”• “Ifeelthatacollegeeducationisattainableforme.”• “Manyadultsinmylifehaveadvisedmetoattendcollege.”• “HowwellIdoinhighschoolisveryimportantto
myfuture.”
General/VocationaltrackStudentsaretwiceaslikelyasCol-legePrepandHonors/APtrackStudentstostronglyagreethat“Idon’tneedtoneedtogotocollegetogetagoodjob.”General/VocationalandCollegePreptrackStudentsaretwiceaslikelytostronglyagreeasareHonors/APtrackStudentsthat“Ireallydon’tknowwhatIwanttodoafterhighschool.”
Studentswhoseparentshaveattendedcollegearemorelikelythanthosewhoseparentshavenoeducationbeyondhighschooltostronglyagreethat,“Growingup,IalwaysassumedIwouldsomedayattendcollege,”andarelessthanhalfaslikelytoagreethat,“Idon’tneedtoneedtogotocollegetogetagoodjob.”
StudentsinNorthernMainearemorelikelythanthoseintheotherregionstostronglyagreethat:• “Icarealotaboutgoingtocollege.”• “HowwellIdoinhighschoolisveryimportantto
myfuture.”• “Ioftenspendtimethinkingaboutandplanningfor
myfuture.”StudentsinCentral/WesternMainearetwiceaslikelyasthoseinNorthernMainetoagreethat“Idon’tneedtoneedtogotocollegetogetagoodjob,”withStudentsinCoastalandSouth-ernMainefallinginbetween.
FemaleStudentsaremorelikelythanmaleStudentstostronglyagreethat:• “Icarealotaboutgoingtocollege.”
Students
Parents8%
69%
44%
72%
82%
21%
58%
63%
68%
74%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
I am apprehensive about (my child) going to college
How well (I do/my child does) in high school is very
important to (my/his or her) future
Many adults in (my/my child's) life have advised (me/him or
her) to attend college
I feel that a college education is attainable for (me/my child)
I care a lot about (my child) going to college
Proportion Reporting Strong Agreement
I care a lot about (my child) going to college
I feel that a college education isattainable for (me/my child)
Many adults in (my/my child’s) life have advised (me/him or her) to attend college
How well (I do/my child does) in high school is very important to (my/his or her) future
I am apprehensive about (my child)going to college
��
• “Growingup,IalwaysassumedIwouldsomedayattendcollege.”
• “Ifeelthatacollegeeducationisattainableforme.”• “Manyadultsinmylifehaveadvisedmetoattendcollege.”• “HowwellIdoinhighschoolisveryimportantto
myfuture.”• “Ioftenspendtimethinkingaboutandplanningfor
myfuture.”• “Iamapprehensiveabouttheprospectofgoingtocollege.”
ACADEMIC PREPARATION
“I’ve heard from a lot of friends and my sister is also in college, it’s just like another whole step up from high school…I’m just worried that I won’t be prepared enough.” —a Maine high school student
Anumberofrecentnationalstudiesfindthatmanyhighschoolgraduatesarenotacademicallypreparedforcollege,andseveralgroupsrecommendimprovingthealignmentofhighschoolgraduationrequirementswithcollegeen-trancecriteriaandexpectations.OursurveysandinterviewsexploredtheperceptionsofMaineStudents,Educators,andParentsaboutacademicpreparationforcollege.
Academic Tracking
The High School Educator survey asked, “Are students in your school placed into academic clusters or ‘tracks’ based upon abilities?” The majority of Educators (56%) indicate that students are tracked, down from 71% in 2001. Two in five respondents (40%) say that the tracking or abil-ity grouping practices in their school have changed in the past five years. One-quarter(25%)ofEducatorsreportthatallclassesintheirschoolareheterogeneouslygroupedwithmixedabilitylevels,indicatingthatthereisnoacademictracking.Attheschoolsoftheother19%ofrespondents,practicesmayfallsomewhereinbetween.
Educators’responsesregardingtrackingaresomewhatdifficulttointerpret.Inmanycases,Educatorsfromthesameschoolsgivedifferentanswersastowhethertheirschoolhastracksorhasabilitygroups.Thismaybeduetodifferingdefinitionsofthose
termsandtovaluejudgmentsabouttracking.Also,thereisstatewideinitiativetoexpandAdvancedPlacement(AP)courseofferingsandtobroadenaccesstothesecourses,whichmayleadmoreStudentstocharacterizetheiracademictrackasHonors/APandsomeEducatorstosaythattheirschoolshavechangedtrackingpractices.DespitemixedresponsesfromEducators,respondentstotheothersurveysdonotseemtohavedifficultycharacterizingtheirortheirchild’sacademictrack.Thesurveyscollapsedthetracksintothreecategories:Honors/AP,CollegePrep,andGeneral/Vo-cational.Sinceschooltrackingsystemsvarywidely,however,HonorsandAPmaybeseparatetracksinsomeschools,theremaybemorethanoneCollegePreptrack,andGeneralmaybeaseparatetrackfromVocational.
Themainfactorassociatedwithtrackingisthesizeoftheschool.Theaverage2004enrollmentintrackedschoolswas716students,comparedwithanaverageenrollmentof356studentsinschoolsthatdonottrack.TrackingisleastprevalentinCoastal/DowneastMainehighschools(40%),whichtendtobesmall,followedbyNorthern(47%),Central/Western(59%),andSouthernMaine(84%),wheremosthighschoolsarelarge.
Thesurveyaskedtwoquestionstogaugetheflexibilityoftrackingsystems(seeFigure2.5).Itappearstobethenormforstudentstotakealltheircoursesinthesameacademictrack;fourinfiverespondents(80%)reportthatthisisatleastsomewhatcommon.Aboutthreeinfiverespondents(59%),however,reportthatitisatleastsomewhatcommonforstu-dentstochangeacademictracksduringhighschool.
Figure 2.5: Flexibility of Academic Tracking Systems
13%
38%
42%
5%2%
32%
43%
16%7%
2%
Very inadequate
Somewhat inadequate
Neither
Somewhat adequate
Very adequate
Don't know
Very commonSomewhat common
Not very commonNot at all common
Don't know
Students take all their classesin the same academic track
Students change academictracks during high school
��
Educatorswereaskedwhatbasesareusedtoplacestudentsinacademictracks.Itappearsthatparents’preferencesarenearlyasinfluentialintrackingplacementsasareteacherrec-ommendations,andthatgradesandstudents’goalsarealsoimportantfactorsinplacingstudentsintoacademictracks.Themostcommonbasesforacademictrackplacementsare:
•Teacherrecommendation(84%)•Parents’preferences(77%)•Gradesinmathcourses(73%)•GradesinEnglishcourses(68%)•Middleschoolteacherplacements(59%)•Students’career/collegegoals(51%)•Standardizedtestscores(35%)•Englishproficiency(30%)
AmongParentswithachildinhighschool,thereisahighdegreeofcorrelationbetweentheparents’educationlevelandtheirchild’sacademictrack(seeFigure2.6).
Figure 2.6: Academic Track of Child, by Highest Level of Parents’ Education
AnumberofEducatorsindicatedthatoursurveydidnotallowforaccuraterepresentationoftheirschool’strackingsystem.Theserespondents’descriptionsofthewaytheyplacestudentsintocoursesinclude:• “ThenotionofanHonorstrackoraGeneraltrackistheproblem.TherearestudentswhoareinHonors/APscienceandstandardhistory…TherearestudentswhochoosetheAPGovernmentcoursebecauseofenthusiasticinterestandalsotakeremedialmath…MostteachersIknowwouldagreethatrigidtrackingisbadANDthatappropriateplacementinap-propriatelychallenginggroupsisforthebest.”• “Weofferlevelsofclassesbutoperateonasystemwecall‘challengebychoice.’Thismeansstudents,notteachersorguidancecounselors,choosethedifficultyleveloftheclasses
they’lltake,andallclassesaredesignedtopushstudentstoadvancebeyondwhateverskillorinterestleveltheyhavecur-rentlyattained.”
SomeEducatorsexpressedopinionsabouttrackinginresponsetoquestionsaskingaboutthemosthelpfulandleasthelpfultacticsattheirschoolintermsofpreparingstudentsforcareersandcollege.22respondentssaythatacademictrackingistheleasthelpfultacticintheirschool.27respondentsnamedheterogeneousclassesorde-trackingastheleasthelpfultacticattheirschool,forexample:“Heterogeneousgroupinghasfosteredproblems—studentsgiveupbecausetheyarenotchal-lengedenoughorbecausetheyfeelinadequate.”
High School Effectiveness
WeaskedEducatorstoratetheirschool’seffectivenessatpreparingstudentsforsuccessincollegeandtheworkplace(seeFigure2.7).Nearly three times as many Educators rate their schools very effective at preparing Honors/AP students (58%) as rate them very effective for College Prep students (20%), and even fewer (8%) rate their schools very effective at preparing General/Vocational track students for success in college and the workplace.
Figure 2.7: “How effective is your school at preparing students for success in college and the workplace?”
Careerpreparationshortcomings,includinganinadequatefocusonVocationalstudents,areamongthetopanswersEducatorsprovideregardingtheleasthelpfultacticemployedattheirschoolforpreparingstudentsforcareersandcollege.
25%
43%
25%
40%45%
37%
24%
11%
33%
6% 6%5%
0%
20%
40%
60%
High School Diploma Some college/Associate degree
Four-year collegedegree +
Honors/APCollege Prep
General/ VocationalNot tracked/Don't know
37%
61%
40% 47%
58%20%
8% 12%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Honors/AP College Prep General/Vocational
All Students(not tracked)
Very effective
Somewhateffective
Pro
port
ion
of E
duca
tors
��
Courses Taken StudentsYoung Adults
Lab Chemistry, Physics, or Biology 9�% 9�%
Algebra � 9�% 8�%
Two or more years of a foreign language 8�% �9%
Trigonometry, Precalculus, or Calculus ��% ��%
Advanced Placement (AP) course ��% ��%
Early college course ��% �9%
High School Curricula
Studentswereaskedwhethertheyhavetakenorplantotakealistofcoursesassociatedwithcollegeentrance,andYoungAdultswereaskedwhethertheytookthesecourseswhilestillinhighschool(seeFigure2.10).
Figure 2.10: High School Courses Taken (or planning to take before
graduation)
Honors/AP track Students (87%) are much more likely than College Prep Students (58%) and nearly three times as likely as those in a General/Vocational track (30%) to report taking Trigonometry, Precalculus, or Calculus. Taking a year of math beyond Algebra 2 is strongly associated with success in college.StudentsfromSouthernMainearemorelikelythanthosefromotherregionstoreporttakingadvancedmathandforeignlanguagecourses.StudentsfromNorthernMainewerethemostlikelytoreportthattheywilltakeanearlycol-legecourse(39%,comparedwith31%onaverage).ForbothStudentsandYoungAdults,thosewhoseparentshaveat-tendedcollegeweremorelikelythanthosewithahighschooldegreeorlesstoreporttakinganadvancedmathcourse,anAdvancedPlacementcourse,andtwoormoreyearsofaforeignlanguage.
School Factors Male Students Female Students Both Neither
Teachers/staff treat students differently 8% �% �8% ��%
Curriculum not engaging students ��% �% �8% ��%
Lack of interactive learning opportunities ��% �% ��% ��%
Type & amount of homework �0% 0% ��% ��%
Teachers/staff hold students to different standards �% �% �0% ��%
Curriculum & grading system don’t play to student strengths 8% �% ��% ��%
Not enough teachers & administrators as role models �% �% 8% 8�%
Figure 2.8: School Factors that Make the Academic Program Less Effective (ProportionofEducators)
Community and Student Factors Male Students Female Students Both Neither
Socially it is not “cool” to be studious ��% �% ��% ��%
Developmental differences ��% �% ��% �0%
These students do not appear as motivated to learn as other students ��% 0% ��% ��%
Learning styles not well-suited to school’s academic program ��% �% ��% ��%
Community does not encourage students to value education 8% �% ��% ��%
Figure 2.9: Community and Student Factors that Hinder Academic Achievement (ProportionofEducators)
ThesurveypresentedalistofschoolfactorsandaskedEduca-torstoindicatewhetheranyofthemmaketheacademicpro-gramlesseffectiveforfemalestudents,malestudents,orboth(seeFigure2.8).ThefactorsEducatorsmostcommonlychoseasmakingtheacademicprogramlesseffectiveforbothfemaleandmalestudentsare“Teachers/stafftreatstudentsdifferently”(28%)and“Teachers/staffholdstudentstodiffer-entstandards”(20%).Formalestudents,teacherweremost
likelytoindicatethat“Curriculumnotengagingstudents”(16%)and“Lackofinteractivelearningopportunities”(12%)maketheacademicprogramlesseffective.
Thesurveyalsopresentedalistofstudentandcommunityfactorsandaskededucatorswhetheranyofthemhindertheacademicachievementoffemalestudents,malestudents,orbothfemaleandmalestudentsattheirschool(seeFigure2.9).
��
ThesurveysaskedStudentsandYoungAdultstoratehowchallengingtheirhighschoolcoursesareorwere(seeFigure2.11).39%ofHonors/APtrackStudentssaytheircoursesareverychallenging,comparedwith18%ofCollegePreptrackStudents,and10%ofGeneral/VocationaltrackStudents.FemaleStudentsaremorelikely(31%)thanmaleStudents(22%)tosaytheircoursesareverychallenging.StudentsfromSouthernMaine(92%)aremorelikelythanthosefromCentral/Western(87%),Northern(87%),andCoastalMaine(85%)toreportthattheircoursesareveryorsomewhatchallenging.
Figure 2.11: How Challenging Are/Were Your High School Courses?
More than two-thirds (69%) of Parents agree that “My child’s teachers challenge my child and encourage more difficult courses”; of these, 31% strongly agree. Parents of Honors/AP students are twice as likely as General/Vocational track Parents to strongly agree that their child’s teachers challenge and encourage them to take more difficult courses (40% com-pared with 21%). Seven in ten High School Educators (70%) agree that their school offers a challenging curriculum that engages all students.
Exposure to College
“Earlycollege”opportunities,inwhichhighschoolstudentsearndualcollegeandhighschoolcreditforacollege-levelcoursetakenonline,onacollegecampus,orattheirhighschool,havegrownrapidlyinMaineoverthepastseveralyears.Someprogramsaredesignedtoservestudentswith
uncertaincollegeaspirationsorparticularbarrierstocollege.ThreeintenStudents(31%)saidthattheyhavetakenorplantotakeanearlycollegeclassbeforetheygraduatefromhighschool.Unlikeothercollege-preparatoryclassesthesurveyaskedabout,thereisnodifferenceinearlycollegecourse-takingbasedonacademictrackorparentaleducationlevel.
ThreeinfiveStudents(61%)reportthattheirschoolarrangescollegecampusvisits,comparedwith45%in2001.Inad-dition,moreStudentsin2006thanin2001(63%comparedwith55%)reportthattheirparentshavetakenthemtovisitacollegecampus.
Perceptions of Preparedness for College
Allthesurveysaskedhowpreparedstudentsareforcollegeandjobswhentheygraduatefromhighschool.• Aboutone-half(49%)ofStudentsbelievethattheyareveryprepared,while45%feelsomewhatpreparedforcollegecourseworkandjobsintermsofcriticalreading,analyticalwriting,andmathematicalreasoningskills.• About one in three Young Adults (35%) believe that they were very prepared, while 48% say they were somewhat prepared for college courses and jobs when they graduated from high school. 48% of Young Adults who were in an Honors/AP track say they were very prepared, compared with 35% of College Prep and 19% of General/Vocational track Young Adults.• 44%ofParentsfeelthattheirchildrenwillbeverypreparedforcollegecoursesandjobswhentheyfinishhighschool.Thereisadramaticdifferencedependingonthechild’saca-demictrack:65%ofParentswhosechildisinanHonors/APtrack,45%ofParentswhosechildisinaCollegePreptrack,and18%ofthosewhosechildisinaGeneral/Vocationaltrackfeelthattheirchildwillbeverypreparedforcollegecourse-workandjobs.
CollegeAdministrators’responsesindicatethatmanagingtime,managingfinances,andbalancingstudieswithworkareareasinwhichMainestudentstendtolackadequateprepara-tion.AbouttwoinfiveCollegeAdministrators(43%)indi-catethatMainestudentsareequallyacademicallypreparedforcollegecomparedwithenteringstudentsfromoutsideMaine.Aboutone-quarter(24%)saythatMainestudentsarelesspreparedacademicallyforcollegethanarestudentsfrom
1%10%
62%
27%
2%
23%
64%
10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Verychallenging
Somewhatchallenging
A littlechallenging
Not at allchallenging
Students
Young Adults
Community and Student Factors Male Students Female Students Both Neither
Socially it is not “cool” to be studious ��% �% ��% ��%
Developmental differences ��% �% ��% �0%
These students do not appear as motivated to learn as other students ��% 0% ��% ��%
Learning styles not well-suited to school’s academic program ��% �% ��% ��%
Community does not encourage students to value education 8% �% ��% ��%
“Students need to learn how to study, and they need more math to help them succeed. They need to take math each year.” —a college administrator
��
Figure 2.14: Students’ Level of Experience with Responsibilities
Responsibility/Experience % with significant experience Key Differences
Arranging your own schedule to balance school, studying, work, etc.
��%
��% Honors/AP, �8% College Prep, ��% Gen/Voc�0% Coast, ��% South, ��% North, ��% Central �9% seniors, ��% juniors�8% girls, ��% boys
Being away from home overnight for a school trip, sports camp, or other similar program
��%��% Honors/AP, ��% College Prep, ��% Gen/Voc�9% parents with HS, �9% parents with some college+��% Coast, ��% South, ��% North, ��% South
Managing money in a bank account �9%��% Honors/AP and College Prep, ��% Gen/Voc ��% seniors, ��% juniors�8% Coastal, �0% South, ��% North, ��% Central
Completing application forms for employment or education programs
��%��% Coast, �8% South, ��% North, ��% Central ��% seniors, �8% juniors
otherstates,and5%saythatMainestudentstendtobemorepreparedthanout-of-statersforcollege.
YoungAdults,perhapswiththebenefitofhindsight,tendtoratetheirpreparednessforaspectsoflifeaftercollegeslightlylowerthandoStudents(seeFigure2.12).BothStudentsandYoungAdultswhoseparentshavenoeducationbeyondhighschooltendtogivelowerratingstotheirpreparednessthandothosewhoseparentsattendedcollege.AmongStudents,malestudentsaremuchlesslikelythanfemalestudents(54%comparedwith69%)toratethemselvesverypreparedtomanagetheirownschedule.
Figure 2.12: Respondents who Feel/Felt Very Prepared for Adult Responsibilities
Experience with Responsibilities
StudentsaremorelikelytoreportthattheyhavesignificantexperiencemanagingseveraltypesofresponsibilitiesthanParentsof11thand12thgradersaretoreportthattheirchildhassignificantexperiencewiththeseresponsibilities(seeFigure2.13).
Figure 2.13: Proportion Reporting Significant Experience with Responsibilities
Figure2.14summarizeskeydifferencesinStudents’ratingsoftheirlevelofexperiencewithresponsibilities.Overall,academictrackisthemostsignificantfactorinexplainingdif-ferences,followedbyparentaleducation.
Knowledge of College-Level Academic Expectations
One-half(49%)ofCollegeAdministratorsbelievethattheircollegeissomewhatsuccessfulatmakingacademicexpecta-tionscleartohighschooleducators,andanadditionalone-quarter(27%)believeitisverysuccessful.NearlyallHighSchoolEducatorsratetheirpersonalunderstandingofthelevelofacademicpreparationrequiredfortheirstudentstoattendcollegeaseitherexcellent(55%)orgood(41%).
Thereisgrowingevidencethatstudentsneedcomparablelevelsofreadingandmathskillsforsuccessincollegeandsuccessintheworkplace.Allfivesurveysaskedaquestiontogaugeawarenessofthisconvergence.Studentsappeartobetheleastawareofthis,followedbyParentsandYoungAdults,HighSchoolEducators,andCollegeAdministrators(see
Manage own schedule & meet responsibilities
Leave home & live away from family
Manage own finances & keep to a budget
Young Adults
Students37%
51%
62%
35%
37%
55%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
M a n a g e o w n f in an c e s & k e e p t
b u d g e t
L e av e h o m e & liv e a w a y f r
fa m ily
M a n a g e o w n s c h e d u le & m e
r e s p o n s ib il it ie s
Arranging own schedule to balance school, studying, work, etc.
Being away from home overnight for a school trip, sports camp, etc.
Managing money in a bank account
Completing application forms for employment or education programs
Students
Parents (11th& 12th grade only
27%
22%
49%
50%
37%
39%
55%
63%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Completing application forms for
employment or education programs
Managing money in a bank account
Being away from home overnight for
a school trip, sports camp, etc.
Arranging own schedule to balance
school, studying, work, etc.
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Figure2.15).AmongCollegeAdministrators,65%ofcom-munitycollegerespondentsagreethatstudentsneedsimilarskillsforcollegeandforjobs,comparedwith34%offour-yearcollegerespondents.
Figure 2.15: Similar Skills are Needed for College and for Jobs
FINANCIAL ISSUES
“Nothing will prevent me from going to college, except money.” —a Maine high school student
Finances as the Determining Factor in College Decisions
About three in ten Parents say that finances are likely to be the determining factor in whether their child attends col-lege, and nearly two-thirds say that finances are likely to be the determining factor in which college their child attends (seeFigure2.16).
Figure 2.16: How Likely is it that Finances will be the Determining Factor in College Decisions?
Studentsratethelikelihoodthatmoneywillbethedetermin-ingfactorinwhetherornottheygotocollegedifferentlydependingontheregiontheylivein,theiracademictrack,andtheirparents’educationlevel.Parentaleducationlevelexplainsmostofthevariationinresponsestothisquestion.Studentswhoseparentsdidnotgobeyondhighschoolarenearlytwiceaslikelyasthosewhoseparentshaveatleastsomecollegeeducation—48%comparedwith26%—tosaythatmoneywillbethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheygotocollege.
NearlythreeintenParents(29%)whodonothaveeducationbeyondhighschoolsayitishighlylikelythatfinanceswillbethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheirchildgoestocollege,comparedwithonly11%ofParentswhohaveat-tendedcollege.Parents with lower incomes are more likely than those with higher incomes to believe that finances will be the determining factor in whether or not their child attends college, but parental education makes a greater dif-ference than does family income.
Regionally,CentralMaineStudents(37%)arethemostlikelytosaythatmoneywillprobablybethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheygotocollege,comparedwith28%intheNorthandSouthand26%inCoastalMaine.StudentsinaGeneral/Vocationaltrackarenearlytwiceaslikelytosaythatmoneywillprobablybethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheygotocollege(48%)asareCollegePrep(27%)andHonors/AP(26%)trackStudents.
Two-thirds(65%)ofYoungAdultswhodidnotattendcollegeorwhowithdrewfromcollegesaidthatmoneywasasome-whatorverysignificantfactorintheirdecision.Respondingtoquestionsaboutspecificcollegecosts,YoungAdultswho
43%
33%
17%17%13%
0%
25%
50%
75%
Students Parents YoungAdults
HS Educators College
Administrators
Pro
porti
on R
epor
ting
Agr
eem
ent
Whether or Not to Go to College
14% 15%
6%
24%
41%
11%
19%
9%
28%33%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Highlylikely
Somewhatlikely
Neither Somewhatunlikely
Veryunlikely
Parents
Students
Which College
32% 32%
8%12%
16%15%
34%
10%
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Highlylikely
Somewhatlikely
Neither Somewhatunlikely
Veryunlikely
Parents
Students
Whether or Not to Go to College
14% 15%
6%
24%
41%
11%
19%
9%
28%33%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Highlylikely
Somewhatlikely
Neither Somewhatunlikely
Veryunlikely
Parents
Students
Which College
32% 32%
8%12%
16%15%
34%
10%
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Highlylikely
Somewhatlikely
Neither Somewhatunlikely
Veryunlikely
Parents
Students
�8
didnotgoorwithdrewfromcollegeratetuitioncostsandtheamountofstudentloansneededasverysignificantfactors.FewerYoungAdultsratethedifficultyunderstandingandapplyingforfinancialaidasaverysignificantfactorintheirdecisionnottogotocollegeortoleavecollege.
Comparedwith2001(35%),aslightlysmallerproportionofStudentsnow(30%)saythatfinancesarelikelytobethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheyattendcollege.Similarly,34%ofParentssurveyedin2001saidthatfinanceswerelikelytobethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheirchildattendedcollege,andthisproportionhasdroppedslightlyto29%.
Beliefs about Financial Aid
Students,Parents,andYoungAdultswereaskedtoratetheirlevelofagreementwithaseriesofstatementsregardingfinan-cialaidforcollege(seeFigure2.17).
Figure 2.17: Beliefs about Financial Aid
Overall,parentaleducationhasthegreatestinfluenceonStu-dents’confidencethattheywillbeabletoovercomefinancialbarrierstocollege.Threequarters(76%)ofStudentswhoseparentshaveatleastsomecollegeeducationagreethattheirparentsareactivelyplanningwaystofinancecollege,com-paredwithjustoverone-half(53%)ofthosewhoseparentsdonothaveeducationbeyondhighschool.
AcademictrackisalsoaninfluentialvariableinStudents’confidencethattheywillbeabletomanagethefinancialchal-lengesofgoingtocollege.Forexample,Honors/APandCol-legePreptrackStudentsaremorelikelytoagreethattheyare
willingtotakeoutloanstoattendcollege(85%and78%,re-spectively)thanareGeneral/VocationaltrackStudents(62%).StudentsinanHonors/APtrackaremuchmorelikelytoagreethattheirparentsareactivelyplanningwaystofinancetheireducationbeyondhighschool(80%)thanareCollegePrep(68%)orGeneral/Vocational(53%)trackStudents.
ParentsofstudentsinanAP/HonorsorCollegePreptrackhavemuchstrongerconvictionsthat“Ifmychildwantstoat-tendcollege,Iwillbeabletofindawaytoaffordit”(53%and47%,respectively,stronglyagree)thandothosewithGeneral/Vocationaltrackchildren(26%stronglyagree).HouseholdincomeisthemostimportantdifferenceinParents’agree-mentthat“Iamactivelyplanningwaystofinancemychild’scollegeeducation.”56%ofParentswithincomesbelow$50,000agreethattheyareactivelyplanningwaystopayforcollege,comparedwith74%ofParentswithhigherincomes.Fromalistofhypotheticalwaystogethelpwithfinancialaid,Parentswereaskedwhichwouldbethemosthelpful.• 29%ofParentschose“One-on-onehelpwithfinancialaid
fromaguidancecounselororschoolofficial.”• 21%chose“Financialaidinfosessionwithparentswho
havealreadygonethroughapplyingforfinancialaidwithatleastonechild.”
• 20%chose“Noneofthese;Idon’thaveanyquestionsaboutfinancialaid.”
AmongYoungAdults,currentcollegestudentsarenearlythreetimesmorelikelytoagreethattheirparentsactivelyplannedwaystofinanceacollegeeducation(60%)thanarethosewhohavenotpursuedanypost-secondaryeducation(22%).
“I’ve never heard my guidance counselor talk about paying for college.” —a Maine high school student
Educators’ Perspectives
AmongCollegeAdministrators,three-quarters(77%)ofthosewhoworkatfour-yearcollegesand95%ofthosewhoworkattwo-yearcollegesratetheirschoolssomewhatorveryfinanciallyaccessibleformostMainestudents.Atcommunitycolleges,60%ofAdministratorssurveyedacknowledgethat
Student is willing to take out loans
Parents have strong understanding of financial aid process
Parents actively plan ways to finance college
Parent is willing to take out loans
Will need significant financial aid
Student has strong understanding of financial aid process
Students Parents
27%
62%
72%
67%
58%
70%
43%
50%
64%
71%
78%
79%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Proportion reporting agreement
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negotiatingthefinancialaidprocessisasomewhatsignificantbarriertostudentsenrolling,while20%saythatitisaverysignificantbarrier.Thenumbersareloweramongfour-yearcollegerespondents:53%saythatnegotiatingthefinancialaidprocessisasomewhatsignificantbarrierand4%sayitisaverysignificantbarriertoenrolling.
One-quarter (24%) of High School Educators rate their school’s programming regarding college financing very adequate, significantly lower than the 38% that rate their school’s programming regarding higher education options very adequate (seeFigure2.18).
Figure 2.18: Educator Ratings of their Schools’ Programming
“When we had a college info session, they brushed over [financial aid]…But I know when we went through this with my sister it took like six hours to get all the way through the website. It’s almost like they’re scared to talk about that, like it will drive us away from going to college.”—a Maine high school student
CAREER AND COLLEGE PLANNING
The Guidance Office Role
SurveyandinterviewfindingssuggestthatthedegreetowhichguidanceofficesarehelpfultostudentsinplanningforcollegeandcareersvarieswidelyamongMainehighschools.WeaskedEducatorswhetherthereissufficientguidanceprogrammingandoutreachtomeetthepost-highschoolplanningneedsofthestudentsineachacademictrack.84% of Educators agree that guidance programming is sufficient to meet the planning needs of Honors/AP track students at their school, while 73% agree that it meets College Prep track students’ needs, and only 46% agree that guidance programming meets General/Vocational track students’ planning needs. Wherestudentsarenottracked,51%ofEducatorsagreethatguidanceprogrammingissufficienttomeetstudents’post-highschoolplanningneeds.Withregardtopost-highschoolplanning,56%ofrespondingEducatorsagreethattheguidancedepartmentisabletofocusequallyonalltypesofstudents,regardlessofabilitylevel;28%disagree.
Guidancecounselorswhorespondedtothesurveywereaskedhowtheyspendtheirtime.Onaverage,guidancecounselorsreportthattheyspend34%oftheirtimeonpost-highschoolplanning,30%onacademiccounselingandcourseselection,21%onsocial/emotionalcounselingandsocialwork,and15%onotherduties.
EducatorsandStudentsdescribedwidelyvaryingguidancepracticesatdifferentMainehighschools,suggestingthatsomeareveryhelpfulincareerandcollegeplanningandoth-ersarelessso(seeFigure2.19).
The School’s Role
StudentsandYoungAdultswereaskedwhethertheirschoolprovides(orprovided)informationandcounselingtohelpprepareforcollegeortodetermineacareerpath(seeFigure2.20).AmongYoungAdults,two-thirdsofthosewhoarecurrentcollegestudentsagree(65%)thattheirschoolhelpedthemprepareforcollege,comparedwith48%ofthosewhoattendedcollegebutdroppedout,and39%ofthosewhohavenotattendedcollege.
Higher Education Options
35%
7%
12%
5%4%
38%
Very inadequate
Somewhat inadequate
Neither
Somewhat adequate
Very adequate
Don't know
College Financing
5%8%
24%
37%
10%
15%
�0
More Helpful Examples Less Helpful Examples
Educators
• “Our guidance department does a tremendous job preparing students for postsecondary life, whether it is college, vocational school, or community college. They do this through a variety of programs that include parents, students, and teachers: College Night for parents of junior students, Graduates Return Night where graduates talk with juniors and seniors about college life, groups for parents and students about the application and financial aid processes, school administered PSATs, and distribution of information to teachers about current trends.”
• “Because of a heavy load it is sometimes difficult for the guidance director to follow all students closely. It is the responsibility of the students, at times, to initiate conversations about college preparation.” • “Guidance does not encourage students strongly enough to attend college; there is a ‘let them do what they want’ attitude here.”
Students/ Young Adults
• “The single most important influence on my going to college was the college placement officer. [He] provided guidance on essay writing, gathering recommendations and brought in college representatives to talk with students...This support system took away the anxiety of the college search.”• “The guidance counselor I credit with getting me to decide to actually attend college was available and he always knew who to call, when, to get the info I needed. He was constantly pointing out scholarship applications, offering letters of recommendation, and in general just convinced me that I was college material.”
• “A lot of times I felt as though my guidance counselors didn’t know much more about the application process than I did.”• “They pretty much give you all the applications here, but they don’t really help.”
Figure 2.19: Examples of More and Less Helpful Guidance Practices
Figure 2.20: School Provides Information to Help
Students say that the top three school activities that have been most helpful to them in planning for the future are preparing for the PSAT or SAT during the school day (25%), college fairs (19%), and regular guidance counselor meetings (18%).
One-half(50%)ofStudentssaytheirparentshavehadameet-ingwithguidanceaboutpost-highschoolplanning.AmongParentssurveyed,55%withachildin11thor12thgradesaythattheyhavehadameetingregardingpost-highschoolplan-ningwiththeirchild’sguidancecounselor.Central/WesternMaineParentswithachildin11thor12thgradearelesslikelythanParentsintheotherregionstosaythattheyhavehadapost-highschoolplanningmeetingwiththeguidancecounsel-or.ParentsofGeneral/Vocationaltrackstudentsarelesslikely(49%)toreporthavinghadsuchameetingthanareParentsofCollegePrep(57%)orHonors/AP(59%)trackstudents.
The Role of Parents
When Students were asked to choose the most helpful resource in post-high school planning, parents were the top choice (45%), followed by teachers (21%), and guidance counselors (12%).91%ofParentssurveyedand89%ofStu-dentsagreethatparentsareveryinvolvedinhelpingplanforthefuture.Therearestrongcorrelationswithacademictrackandparents’education;more-educatedParentsaremorelike-lytobeveryinvolvedintheirchildren’sfutureplanning,andParentsofstudentsinHonors/APandCollegePreptracksaremorelikelytobeinvolved.65%ofmothersstronglyagreethattheyareveryinvolvedinhelpingplantheirchild’sfuture,comparedwith55%offathers.NearlythreeinfiveParents(58%)agreethat“IamgettinghelpfulinformationaboutwhatIneedtodonowtopreparemychildforcollegeandacareer.”While86%ofParentshavehadseriousdiscussionswiththeirchildaboutplansforafterhighschool,onlyone-quarterofParentswhosechildrenarein7thor8thgradehavedoneso.Mothers(89%)aremorelikelytoreporthavinghadthesediscussionsthanarefathers(82%).
Aboutone-third(35%)ofParentsreportthattheyhavetakentheirchildtovisitacollegecampus,andfully70%ofParentsof12thgradestudentshavedonethis.ParentsofHonors/APtrackstudentsaremorethantwiceaslikely(48%)tohavetakentheirchildtovisitacollegecampusasthoseofGen-eral/Vocationaltrackstudents(22%),whileParentsofCollege
75%82%
47%
59%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Prepare for College Determine a Career
Path
StudentsYoung adults
10%
30%
50%
70%
90%
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Preptrackstudentsfallinbetween(38%).44%ofParentssaytheyhavedonereadingorresearchonfinancialaid;thesefiguresarehigherforParentsof11thgraders(53%)and12thgraders(78%).
Parentswereaskedwhotheybelieveismostresponsibleforplanningwhatstudentswilldoafterhighschool(seeFigure2.21).FarmoreParentsin2006(45%)thanin2001(26%)saidthatparentsaremostresponsibleforplanningwhatstu-dentswilldoafterhighschool.
Figure 2.21: Parents’ Beliefs: Who is Most Responsible for Planning What Students Will Do after High School?
Ininterviews,studentstalkedatlengthabouttheirparents’expectationsforthemandtheirattitudesaboutcollege.Forthemajorityofstudentsinterviewed,parents’expectationsaboutcollegematchthestudents’,thoughformanystudents,thecareersthey’reinterestedinaredifferentthanwhattheirparentswantthemtopursue.Forfirst-generationstudents,familyexpectationscangobothways.
• “Myparentswantmetogo[tocollege]sobadly,becausetheydidn’t.”
• “Mywholefamilyiscountingonmetobethefirstonetogotocollege,andtheydependonme.”
• “Myparentsdidn’tgotocollege,sotheytoldmetheydon’tlikecollege.”
• “Ihaven’tgotawholelotofinformationfrommyparentsbecausetheydon’tknowalotaboutcollegeandstuff.”
When College Planning Starts
“I think it needs to be emphasized more for like fresh-men and lower level high school students that they need to start planning earlier, and they can’t coast through high school.” —a Maine high school senior
AboutoneinthreeYoungAdults(34%)rememberhavingseriousdiscussionswiththeirparentsabouttheirfutureplansbeforetheyenteredhighschool,andonlyone-quarter(24%)ofStudentrespondentssaythattheybeganhavingthesedis-cussionswithparentsaboutfutureplansbeforetheyenteredhighschool.Fewerthanoneinfive(18%)General/VocationaltrackStudentsbeganhavingthesediscussionswiththeirparentsbeforetheyenteredhighschool,comparedwith23%ofCollegePrepand29%ofHonors/APtrackStudents.
Morethanone-half(55%)ofYoungAdultsthinkthattheybeganplanningforthefutureearlyenough,and39%donot.Currentcollegestudentsaremorethantwiceaslikely(64%)tosaythattheybeganplanningforthefutureearlyenoughthanareYoungAdultswhodidnotgotocollege(28%).Incomparison,39%ofthosewhoattendedcollegebutdroppedoutsaytheybeganplanningforthefutureearlyenough.
ManyHighSchoolEducatorssaythatstartingearlyisthemosthelpfultacticforpreparingstudentsforcareersandcollege.Atsomeschools,studentsdevelopafour-yearplanin8thgradeoratthebeginningof9thgrade,andupdatetheirplaneachyear.Thisgivesthemanopportunitytoconsiderandcontinuallyrevisittheirplansforafterhighschool.
AmongCollegeAdministratorssurveyed,nearlyone-half(46%)saidstudentsshouldbeginplanningforcollegepriorto9thgrade,21%saidstudentsshouldbeginin9thgrade,27%said10thgrade,and7%saidstudentsshouldbeginplanningforcollegein11thor12thgrade.
Students
Parents27%
62%
72%
67%
58%
70%
43%
50%
64%
71%
78%
79%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Proportion reporting agreement
Students
Parents
2001
6%
67%
26%
Parents
Students
School2006
45%
4%
50%
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REAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE TRANSITION
“The transition to college was rough, but I was able to talk to counselors who really were interested in helping me out…If there something that I can’t stress enough to incoming freshmen about coming to col-lege, it is to use the resources available to them to get the help they need.” —a Maine college student
Young Adults’ Post-High School Experiences
80%ofYoungAdultsreportthattheyexpectedtogotoatwo-orfour-yearcollegedirectlyafterhighschool,while74%actuallydidthis.Anevenhigherproportion(87%),however,hadeventuallyenrolledincollegebythetimeofthesurvey.About one in twenty Young Adults (6%) expected to get a job directly after high school, but nearly one in five (19%) actually went straight to work.
Ofthosewhodidnotgoimmediatelytocollege,30%saythattheymadethisdecisionduringtheirsenioryear,25%decidedduringthesummeraftergraduation,and15%decidedduringthejunioryearofhighschoolorearlierthattheywouldnotgotocollege.About12%ofYoungAdultssurveyedenrolledincollegebut,atsomepoint,leftcollegewithoutcompletingadegree.Ofthese,54%leftduringtheirfirstyearofcollege,22%leftduringthesecondyear,11%leftduringthethirdyear,and4%leftduringthefourthyear.
YoungAdultswhowereinaGeneral/Vocationaltrackinhighschoolandwhoenrolledincollegereporthigherlevelsofpa-rentalinvolvementwithschoolandwithfutureplanningandaremorelikelytoreportthattheirteacherschallengedandencouragedthemthanarethosewhodidnotgotocollege.
College Administrators’ Observations
CollegeAdministratorswereaskedtoselectthemostsig-nificantbarrierstoenrollmentforadmittedstudentsattheirinstitutionfromalist.Thetopthreebarriersarethesameattwo-yearandfour-yearcolleges,buttheirprevalenceappearstovarybythetypeofinstitution:
• Two-yearCollegeAdministratorsmainlychose“unex-pectedcosts”(85%),“personalrelationships/familydemands”(85%),and“insufficientfinancialaid”(54%)asthemost
significantbarrierstoenrollmentfortheiradmitted,enteringstudents.• Four-yearCollegeAdministratorschose“personalrela-tionships/familydemands”(57%),“insufficientfinancialaid”(47%),and“unexpectedcosts”(21%)asthetopthreebarrierstoenrollment.
CONCLUSIONS
OursurveysofParents,Students,andYoungAdultsfindthatacademictrackinhighschoolandparentaleducationlevelaretwocriticalfactorsindeterminingcollegeaspirations,academicpreparationforsuccessincollegeandjobs,andconfidencethatcollegewillbefinanciallyaccessible.General/VocationaltrackStudents,YoungAdults,andtheirParents:
• experiencelessencouragementfromthecommunitytoconsidercollege;
• arenotconvincedthatacollegeeducationisattainableforthem;
• areunlikelytoagreetheyarebeingchallengedandencour-agedbyteachers;
• donotbelievethattheyareorwerewellpreparedforcol-legecoursesandgoodjobs;and
• reportlowerlevelsofexperiencewithadultresponsibili-tiessuchasarrangingtheirownscheduleormanagingabankaccount.
Itappearsthatbeingfromafirst-generationcollegefamily(afamilyinwhichneitherparenthaseducationbeyondhighschool)isassociatedwithhighaspirations,yetweakerconvic-tionsthatcollegeisattainable,and,inparticular,financiallymanageable.
• Studentsfromfirst-generationcollegefamiliesarelesslikelythanotherstoagreethattheirparentsareplanningforcollegeandmorelikelytoindicatethatmoneywillbethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheyattendcollege.• ParentaleducationlevelhasanevenstrongerinfluenceonParents’beliefsaboutthefinancialfeasibilityofcollegefortheirchildrenthanhouseholdincome.
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PART III: PROMISING PRACTICES
Therearemanywaystoapproachthegoalofhelpingmorestudentsmakesuccessfultransitionsfromhighschooltocollege.Maineschoolsandcommunitieshaveimplementedavarietyofchangesandstrategies.Insomecases,onepersonwhoiscommittedtopreparingallstudentsforsuccessfulfutureshaseffectivelyconvincedothersintheschoolandinthecommunity,raisedfundstoimplementchanges,andworkedwithstudentsone-on-oneatdifferentpointsintheirhighschoolcareers.Manyoftheadministratorswespokewithsaidthatittookseveralyearsofexperimentationandimprovementstogetanewstrategytofitwellandbeacceptedintheirschoolorcommunity.GiventhedifferencesamongMainehighschoolsandcommunitiesintermsofsize,geog-raphy,economy,anddemographics,differentcombinationsofstrategieswillbeeffectiveindifferentsettings.Thefollow-ingprofilesarenotmeantasaprescription,butaregivenasexamplesofthetypesofinnovationsthathavebeeneffectiveinsomeMaineschoolsandcommunities.
SeveralstatewideeffortshavebeeneffectiveinhelpingmoreMainestudentsmakesuccessfultransitionstocollege.In1998,theMaineDepartmentofEducation(DOE)releasedPromising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine’s Sec-ondary Students, whichdefinedthepracticesofeffectivehighschools.A2002grantfromtheBill&MelindaGatesFounda-tioncreatedtheGreatMaineSchoolsProjectattheMitchellInstitute,whichassistshighschoolsalloverMainewithimprovementefforts.Since2003,theMELMACEducationFoundationhasworkedwith54highschoolsandtechnicalcentersand25adulteducationcenters,providinggrantfundstohelpadoptprovenbestpracticesthroughitsConnectingAspirationstoaPlangrantprogram.TheMaineCompactforHigherEducation,agroupofMainebusiness,education,andpoliticalleaders,hasbeenadvocatingandimplement-ingprogramstoimproveeducationalattainmentinMainesince2003.ANationalGovernorsAssociation(NGA)granttotheMaineDepartmentofEducationfundsKickStart,amultimediacampaigndesignedtoencouragemoreMainemiddleschoolstudentstodevelopcollegeaspirationsandplans.MainenowusestheSATasits11th-gradeassessmenttest,andDOEprovidesfreeSATpreparationforallMainestudents.TheFinanceAuthorityofMaine(FAME)hostsan-
nualCollegeGoalSundayeventsthroughoutthestatetoassistfamiliesincompletingfinancialaidapplications.
ADDRESSING MULTIPLE BARRIERS
Dual Enrollment Early College Courses
Inthepastseveralyears,earlycollegeopportunitieshaverapidlyexpandedinMaine.Earlycollegecoursesgivehighschooljuniorsandseniorstheopportunitytotakeacollegecourseandearndualcredit—bothcredittowardtheirhighschooldiplomaandcollegecreditthatistransferableoncetheyenteradegreeprogram.Thestate-fundedAspirationsearlycollegeprogramhasbeenhelpinghighschoolstudentstakecollegeclassessince1998.Thestatepaysforone-halfofthetuitionandparticipatingUniversityofMainecampusesandcommunitycollegeswaivetheotherhalf.750studentsparticipatedin2006-2007.Increasingly,studentswhofacebarrierstocollegearebeingtargetedforparticipationinearlycollegeprograms.TheAccessCollegeEarly(ACE)program,fundedbyanNGAgranttotheMaineDOE,helped44highschoolsestablishearlycollegepartnershipswith16post-secondaryinstitutionsin2006-2007,andover400studentsparticipated.Otherexamplesofearlycollegepartnershipsinclude:
• The Downeast Community Learning Alliance (DECLA)includesfiveWashingtonCountyhighschoolsthathavebeenworkingtogetherforseveralyearstoexpandearlycollegeopportunitiesfortheirstudents.In2006-2007,studentsfromthefivehighschoolstook117coursesatUniversityofMaineatMachiasfordualcredit.• The University of Maine at Fort Kenthasdevelopedanearlycollegepartnershipwithfourareahighschools.Inthepasttwoacademicyears,90studentshavetaken150coursesfordualcredit.• York County Community CollegebegananearlycollegepartnershipwithWellsHighSchoolin2004andhassinceexpandedittoworkwithsevenmoreareahighschools.Theprogramhasbeensopopularthathighschoolstudentsac-countedfor15%ofYCCC’stotalinstitutionalenrollmentin2006-2007.• In2006,theUniversity of MaineintroducedadistancelearningearlycollegeprogramcalledAcadem-e.Thepro-grammakesitpossibleforseniorsatallMainehighschools
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totakecollegecoursesonline.Academ-eincludesamanda-torycampusorientationforstudentsandaparent,guardian,orguidancecounseloratthebeginningofthesemester.Onorientationday,studentsregistertheirlaptopcomputers,re-ceivecampuse-mailaccounts,receiveatutorialintheonlinecoursesoftware,andattendthefirstclassmeeting.Parentsattendaspecialsessionhighlightingcollegeadmissionsandfinancialaidinformationwhiletheirstudentisinclass.In2006-2007,theprogramoffered14collegecourseswithatotalof560studentslots.
Early College for ME
TheMaineCommunityCollegeSystem’sEarlyCollegeforME(ECforME)programisforstudentswhoareundecidedaboutcollege,yetwhohavethepotentialtosucceedincol-lege.StudentsareselectedbytheirhighschooltoparticipateinECforME.Theprogramincludesadvising,theopportunitytotakeoneortwoearlycollegecoursesforfreeduringthese-nioryear,anda$2,000scholarshipforstudentswhomatricu-lateintooneofthesevenMCCScampuses.
Duringhighschool,anECforMEadvisorhelpsstudentsassesstheiracademicreadinessforcollege,selectcoursestomeettheentrancerequirementsofthecollegeprogramtheywishtoenter,considerearlycollegecourses,andnavigatethecollegeapplicationandfinancialaidprocess,includinghelpwiththeFreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA).IfthestudentsenrollinanMCCScollege,theadvisorscontinuetobeavailablethroughouttheircollegeprogram.ECforMEisnowavailableat74Mainehighschoolsandtechnicalcenters,withplanstoexpandtoeveryhighschoolby2008.
Career/College Centers at School
• Lewiston High School’s Aspirations Initiative:LewistonHighSchoolservesover1,300students.ForseveralyearstheLewistonSchoolBoardhasfundedafull-timeaspirationscoordinatorpositionatthehighschool.Thecoordinatordoesnothaveaguidancecaseload,butworkswithallstudents.Shecoordinatesthreeprograms:
•TheAspirationsLabisaresourceroomforallthestepsinthecollegesearchandapplicationprocess.Studentscangetone-on-onesupport,guidance,andanswerstoques-tions.Teachersandguidancecounselorstakeshiftsstaffing
theLab,andstudentsgethelpresearchingcolleges,check-ingallthepiecesoftheirapplication,andfilingtheFAFSA.Students’collegeapplicationessayshaveimproved,astheLabincreasesthelikelihoodthatallstudentsgetfeedbackontheirearlydrafts.
•Collegevisitsforeverysophomore.
•Anextensiveearlycollegeprogram,providingmanyju-niorsandseniorstheopportunitytotakecoursesatoneoffourlocalcollegesanduniversitiesfordualcollegeandhighschoolcredit.Since2005,morethan200studentshavetakenearlycollegecourses.
Theaspirationscoordinatorhasalsofocusedonengagingparentsinthecollegeapplicationprocess,andonsupport-ingstudentsinaccessingfinancialaid.Thehighschool’swebsitehasapagespecificallyforparents(www.lewiston.k12.me.us/~lhsparents/),whichisregularlyupdatedwithtimelyinformation.
• Mt. Abram High School’s Pathway Partners:PathwayPartnerswasfoundedatMt.AbramHighSchoolinStrongin1997,andbeganasacareermentoringandcounselingprogram.Itsmissionistoprovideaseamlesstransitionfromschoollifetoasuccessfulcareerpathwayforeverystudent.PathwayPartnersworksextensivelywithbusinessesintheareatoarrangementors,school-to-workexperiences,andinternshipsforstudents.Forexample,theyarecurrentlyworkingwithCianbro,alargeareaemployer,todevelopaworkforcetrainingprogram.PathwayPartnersalsoworkswithjuniorsandseniorsandtheirparentstonavigatethecol-legeprocess.
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ThestaffisresponsibleforthedistrictAdult&CommunityEducationprogram,whichoffersoccupationalandvocationalcoursesandadultbasiceducation.Inthisway,thestaffiscommittedtoassistingstudentsbeyondhighschool,eveniftheydonotgraduate.Mostrecently,PathwayPartnershasbeendevelopinganetworkofhighschoolalumniforfund-raisingandtoprovidecurrentstudentsandrecentgraduateswithmoresourcesforadviceonspecificcollegesandcareers.
Thestaffreportsthattheyhavebeensuccessfulatbuildingasharedbeliefinboththeschoolandthecommunitythateveryonecanfinishhighschoolcollege-ready,andthatMt.Abramhasbeensendinggraduatestopostsecondaryeduca-tionortraininginunprecedentednumbers.Understandinglocalcultureandcommunityengagementthroughinterper-sonalrelationshipshavebeencriticaltothissuccess.
PathwayPartners’directoradvises,“Withninthgraders,dointerestinventoriesandtalkaboutthenextstepsinpursu-ingtheirinterests.Ifyoustarttalkingaboutcollege,manyofthemwillloseinterest.They’renotthereyet.Studentsneedtolearnhowtoplan,stepbystep,toturntheirdreamsintoachievablegoals.”
• Dirigo High School’s Partnership with the University of Maine at Farmington:DirigoHighSchoolinDixfieldhashadapartnershipwithUMFsincetheyreceivedafederalGEAR-UPpartnershipgrantin1999.GrantsfromtheMELMACandNellieMaeEducationFoundationshaveenabledthemtoexpandtheservicestheyprovidetotheschoolcommunities’sevenththroughtwelfthgraders.Acollegeaccesscoordina-torworksatthehighschool,butisanemployeeofUMF.OneofthesignatureprogramsatDirigoisamandatorytutoringprogramforanystudentwithanaveragegradeof72orbelowinanyclass.Freshmenareassignedtoateacherforone-halfhouroftutoringafterschool.Studentsin10th,11th,or12thgradesareassignedtoaUMFstudenttutorwhomeetswiththemduringlearninglabperiods(Dirigo’salternativetostudyhalls)duringtheschoolday.TherearefinancialaidnightsforparentsandaPSATnightforsophomoreswhentheygettheirPSATscorestoencouragethemandtheirparentstoplanforcollege.“Thesethingshavebecomeinstitutionalizedherenow,”thecoordinatorexplains,“Thedistrictthinksit’sthatimportant.”
Thepartnershipsponsorsseveralsummerinstitutesforstudents:• amiddletohighschooltransitionsummeracademy• aleadershipconferenceformiddleandhighschoolstu-dentsthatincludesadifferenttrainingcurriculumandanextensivecollegecampustoureachyear• “JumpStartYourFuture”forstudentsbetweentheirjuniorandsenioryearsofhighschool
•Thefocusisoncollegeapplicationsandfinancialaid.Studentslearnaboutthevocabularyofthecollegeapplica-tionprocess,learnhowtocompletethecommonapplica-tion,andapplyforPINstobeginthefederalfinancialaidapplicationprocess.AUMFprofessorcomestohelpstu-dentswritethefirstdraftofacollegeapplicationessay,andstudentsspendtimepeerreviewingtheessays.Studentsalsolearnhowtodoscholarshipsearches.Thesesessionsarerepeatedinthefallforstudentswhocannotattendinthesummer.
• “ReadySetGo”,afour-daycollegetransitioninstituteforseniorsaftergraduation,forthefirsttimein2007.
•TheinstitutewillfeaturethesametimemanagementandstudyskillsworkshopthatUMFofferstoincom-ingfreshmen;adayfocusingonlifeskillslikecooking,laundry,andlivingawayfromhome;andafinancialliteracydaywithbothasessionwithFAMEonhowtostayontrackandgraduatefromcollegeontimeandreal-lifebudgetingexercisesledbyalocalcreditunion.
Facilitating Successful Transitions
from Middle to High School
Inadditiontotraditional“step-up”activitiestointroduceincomingstudentsandtheirparentstohighschool,severalschoolshavepracticesinplacetohelpimprovestudentout-comesinthefreshmanyearandbeyond.
• AtLake Region High SchoolinNaples,allstudentsareassignedtoanadvisorygroupasfreshmen.Thegroupsstaywiththesameadvisorforallfouryearsofhighschool,andtheymeetforthefirst15minutesofschooleachday.Throughouthighschool,parentconferencesarescheduledthroughtheadvisorygroups,andthishasimprovedparentattendance.Otherschoolsthathavedevelopedadvisorypro-gramsincludeMt. AbramandPoland High School.AtNoble High SchoolinNorthBerwick,theroughly1,000studentsare
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assignedtoheterogeneously-groupedteamsforallfouryearsofhighschool,andallcoresubjectareafacultymembersteachinteams.• AtSouth Portland High School,ninthgradersaredividedintothreeheterogeneouslygroupedteamsofeightytoninetystudents.Thepurposeofteamingistoincreasecommunica-tionamongstudents,parents,andteachers.Teamingallowsteacherstocoordinatethecurriculumacrosscontentareas,whichsupportsstudents’understandingofthecomplexrela-tionshipbetweensubjects.EachinterdisciplinaryteamwillconsistofanEnglish,socialstudies,math,andscienceteacheraswellasspecialeducators,aguidancecounselor,asocialworker,andanadministrator.Freshmanworkshopreplacesstudyhallsduringfreshmanyear,andprovidesstudentswithablockoftimetocompletehomework,makeupassessments,orworkonenrichmentmaterialoronanhonorschallenge.SouthPortlandhasalsoimplementedschedulechangesthatallowforteacherstoholdcontent-areateammeetingseveryotherday.
OtherhighschoolsthathavecomprehensiveprogramsinplacetofacilitatesuccessfultransitionsfrommiddletohighschoolincludeCaribou, Dirigo, Fort Kent,andSacopee Valley.
Senior Seminars
AtMachias Memorial High School,seniorstakeayear-longSeniorSeminarcoursethatfulfillstheseniorEnglishrequire-mentandincludesaseniorexhibition.Studentsselectthetopicstheywillpursueinthecourse,findamentor,performcommunityservice,conductresearchandwriteapaper,de-velopaphysicalproject,andpresenttheirworktoapanelattheendoftheyear.Seniorseminarismeanttobeaculmi-natingacademicexperiencethatallowsstudentstodemon-stratetheskillsandknowledgetheyhaveattained,challengesthemtolearnmore,andhelpsthemtodirecttheirfutures.The2006-2007seminarhandbookisavailableonthewebathttp://65.18.58.89/pdfs/willey/sen_ex_handbook.pdf
AtMt. Abram High School,studentsinallfourgradespresenttheirworkinaspringshowcase,andseniorsmustcompleteapostsecondaryeducationplanthatincludesapplyingtoacol-legeorcertificateprogram.Polandalsorequiresallseniorstocompleteacollegeapplication.AtHall-Dale,theseniorsemi-narincludesresearchingacollegeandpreparingapresenta-
tionaboutit.Fort KentandSacopeealsohaveseniorseminarcoursesandrequireseniorexhibitions.
ADDRESSING SOCIAL/CULTURAL ISSUES
College Visits for All Students
EveryLewiston High Schoolsophomorevisitstwocollegesinaschool-sponsoredtrip.Thetoursvisittwocollegesinoneday,andincludebothMaineandout-of-statecolleges.Thetoursaretimedtogetstudentsthinkingaboutcollegerightbeforetheyselecttheirjunior-yearcourses,andgiveeachstudentanintroductiontotheresourcesavailableintheAspirationsLabatschool.AsurveyconductedbyBatesCollegestudentsandfacultyfoundthatstudents,particularlymalestudents,aremorelikelytoseethemselvesascollegematerialaftergoingonaschool-sponsoredcollegetour.
Lake Region High SchoolusesfundsfromitsMELMACCon-nectingAspirationstoaPlangranttopayforcollegecampusvisits.LRHShostsatriptoSouthernMaineCommunityCol-legeforallsophomoresandtripstoseveralfour-yearcollegesforalljuniors.Otherhighschoolsthatarrangecollegevisitsforallstudentsinclude:Central, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent, Greely, Hall-Dale, Machias, Mt. Abram, Mt. View, Poland,andPortland.Oneteacherfoundthattheexperienceofchaperon-ingacollegevisitwasanexcellentopportunitytotalkwithcollegefacultyandstaffandtolearnmoreabouttheirexpec-tations.Sherecommendsthatallteacherstakeaturnservingaschaperonesoncollegevisits.TheMELMACFoundation’swebsitehasseveralresourcesforplanningsuccessfulcollegevisitsatwww.melmacfoundation.org/grants/catp/Peer.aspx
Bowdoin College’s Aspirations in Maine Program
Since2005,BowdoinCollege’sCommunityServiceResourceCenterhashostedanAspirationsProgramthatbringshighschooljuniorsfromeightschoolsintheregionontocampusforadayofshadowingstudentsandexperiencingcollegestudentlife.Thisyear,theprogramexpandedtoNorthernMaine,andbrought36juniorsfromsixAroostookCountyhighschoolstoBowdoinforatwo-dayvisit.Bowdoinstu-dentshostedthehighschoolvisitorsintheirdormroomsandtookthemtoclassesduringthedayandcampusentertain-mentatnight.Thestudentsheardfromadmissionsandfi-nancialaidrepresentativesaswellasformerMaineGovernor
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AngusKing.“Ireallylikedthefactwecouldsitinonclassesbecauseitgavemeachancetofeeltheatmosphereandseethewayacollegeclassisconducted,”oneparticipatingstudentsaid.Anothercommented,“Thebestpartformewasstayingovernight,gettingtoexperiencenighttimecollegeexperi-ences,andseeingwhatacollegeclasswaslike.”Ateacherorguidancecounselorfromeachhighschoolservedasachap-eroneonthetrip,andBowdoinarrangedspecialinformationsessionsforthemonadmissionsandfinancialaid.
ADDRESSING ACADEMIC PREPARATION
Core Curriculum for All Students
TheUniversityofMaineSystem’sStatementofCollegeReadi-nessdescribesanoptimal,college-readyhighschooltran-scriptasincluding:• fouryearsofEnglishcoursesthatincorporateavarietyof
textsandemphasizewritingskills;• fouryearsofmathcourses,includingAlgebra1,Alge-
bra2,Geometry,anda12th-gradecollege-preparatorymathcourse;
• threeyearsoflaboratoryscience:biology,chemistry,andphysics;
• threeyearsofsocialstudiesandhistorythatemphasizereading,writing,andtheuseofquantitativedataandre-searchfindings;and
• atleasttwoyearsofstudyinalanguageotherthanEnglish.
Hall-Dale High SchoolinFarmingdalerecentlyreviseditsProgramofStudiesanditsgraduationrequirementssothat
allstudentswillgraduatepreparedforcollege,work,andciti-zenship.Beginningwiththeclassof2009,allstudentsmustcompletefouryearsofmath(includingAlgebra1,Geometry,andAlgebra2)inordertograduate.DetailsaredescribedintheProgramofStudies,availableonlineatwww.halldale.org/index.php/hd_hs
Hall-Dale’sprincipalsaysthatittooktwoyearstomaketherevisionstothegraduationrequirementsandprogramofstudies.Theschool’sGreatMaineSchoolsProjectcoachhelpedtogatherresearchandfeedbacktosupportthecaseandconvincetheSchoolBoardtomakethechanges.Fac-ultymembersengagedinself-explorationandnetworkingtodeterminewhattherequirementsshouldbeintheirrespec-tivedisciplines.Thebiggestconcernsaboutthechangeswerethatstudentswouldrebel,andthatfailureanddropoutrateswouldincrease.Theprincipalreportsthatnoneofthesethingshavehappened.Therewasalsoaconcernthatstu-dentswouldnothaveaccesstoasmanyelectives,butwithagrowingearlycollegeprogram,thecontraryhashappened.“ThesenioryearatHall-Daleisnowayeartogearupforthefuture,nottotakeiteasyorcoast,”theprincipalreports.
OtherMaineschoolsthatrequirefouryearsofstudyinEng-lish,math,science,andsocialstudiesforgraduationincludePoland, Sacopee Valley, andSearsport. AtFort Kent Com-munity High School,studentsmustalsocompletetwoyearsofanotherlanguagetograduate.AtNoble High School,fiveEng-lishcourses,fivemathcourses(includingonecoursebeyondAlgebra2),andfoursciencecoursesarenowrequired
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forgraduation.Noble’sProgramofStudiesisavailableattheschoolwebsite:http://knight.noble-hs.sad60.k12.me.usPeer Tutoring
Houlton Junior/Senior High Schoolservesalmost600studentsingrades7through12.Severalyearsago,theprincipalandviceprincipaldevelopedaprogramcombiningpeertutoringandservicelearning.Theprogramgivesabout40studentseachyeartheopportunitytoserveaspeertutorsforfellowstudents.Theservicelearningcoordinatorisalsoaspecialeducatorattheschool.Sheexplains,“Mostcommunityser-vicehadbeendoneoutsideofschool.Thisprogramfocusesontheschoolasacommunity.There’sarealneedhere.”Studentsingradesninethroughtwelveareeligibletopar-ticipateintheprogramandcanearnuptoonecoursecredit.ServiceLearnerswhotutorpeersearnahalf-coursecrediteachsemester,andthosewhoworkwithteachersorassistintheschoollibraryearnaquarter-coursecredit.Interestedstu-dentsmusttakepartinaninterview,signacontract,andkeepalogoftheirwork.Studentsneedingatutormaybeidenti-fiedbyparents,ateacher,oranadministrator.SomeServiceLearnershelppeerswithaspecificsubjectateitheroftheAcademicLearningCentersinthejuniorhighandthehighschool;someserveastutorsduringamandatoryafter-schoolprogramfor7th,8th,and9thgradestudentswhoarefailingacourse;andsomeareassignedaspositiverolemodelstospendtimegoingtolunchormeetingregularlywithanotherstudent.Theprincipalreportsthattwoyearsago,beforetheprogrambegan,557th,8th,and9thgradersfailedcoreclasses.Lastyear,only14studentsinthosegradesfailedcoreclasses,andheattributesmuchofthisimprovementtotheServiceLearners’work.
Ensuring Academic Rigor at Career and
Technical Education (CTE) Centers
TheMaineDOEhasanongoingefforttopromoteacademicintegrationandliteracydevelopmentinitsCTEcenters,andrecentlycommissionedareportthatdocumentspromisingpracticesforimprovingacademicrigor.OneexampleistheMid-CoastSchoolofTechnology,whichservesstudentsfromsevenhighschools.MCSThasbeenworkingtointegrateliteracydevelopmentinreading,writing,andmathacrossitscurriculumforseveralyears.Teachersinallclassesareusing
commonreadingcomprehensionandvocabularydevelop-mentstrategies,manyofwhichemphasizecriticalthink-ing.MCSTnowoffersEnglishandmathclassesforstudentswhoseschedulesdonotallowthemtotakethesecoursesattheirsendinghighschools.MCSThasseenenrollmentincreasesandreportssteadyimprovementinstudents’read-ingandmathscoresoverthepastthreeyears(JulieMeltzer,Motivating Contexts for Learning: Increasing Academic Rigor and Improving Literacy Development in Maine’s CTE Centers, www.maine.gov/education/it/promise/6finalrpt.pdf).
ADDRESSING FINANCIAL BARRIERS
Financialbarrierstocollegemayprovethemostcomplicatedtoaddress.Muchoftheproblemlieswithinthefederalfinan-cialaidsystem,whichisoverlycomplexandtimedtoprovideinformationtoolatetoimpactcollege-goingdecisionsposi-tively.Inaddition,theprocessofawardingfinancialaidandtheresourcesavailablevarieswidelydependingonthecollegeoruniversity.Thismakesitdifficulttoadviseindividualstu-dentsonexactlywhatfinancialaidtheywillreceiveandwhattheirnetcostofcollegewillbe.Atthenationallevel,effortshavebeenmaderecentlytoaddresstheseissues.InApril2007,thefederalgovernmentunveileditsnewFAFSAfore-casterwebtool,whichprovidesfederalfinancialaidestimatesinadvance,basedonfamilyinformationtheuserprovides.
InMaine,FAMEoffersseveralfinancialaidcalculatorsforMainefamiliesathttp://www.famemaine.com/education/cal-culators.asp.Inaddition,FAMEnowoffersa$50“FirstStep”granttotheparentsofanynewbornMaineresidenttoopenacollegesavingsaccountwithintheNextGencollegeinvest-ingplan(seewww.famemaine.com/education/nextgen.asp).Thestate-fundedMaineStateGrantProgramisaneed-basedgrantforfull-time,Maineresidentcollegestudents.Roughly9,600studentscurrentlyreceiveaMaineStateGrantProgramscholarship;theawardsaverage$1,200peryear.
College Goal Sunday
Nationally,anestimated20-40%ofeligiblecollegestudentsdonotreceivefederalgrantsbecausetheydonotapplyforfinancialaid(DynarskiandScott-Clayton,page18,http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~SDynarski/200702dynarski-scott-clayton.pdf).AtoneMainehighschool,anadministrator
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recentlylearnedthatonly24%of2006graduatescompletedaFreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA),eventhoughmorethan60%ofthemenrolledincollege.Since2004,theFinanceAuthorityofMaine(FAME)hassponsoredCollegeGoalSunday,anationwideprogramthattakesplaceoneSundayafternooneachyearinlateJanuary.FinancialaidexpertsandotherprofessionalsvolunteertheirtimetohelpstudentsandtheirfamiliescompletetheFAFSAandgetfinancialaidinformation.AnyoneplanningtocompletetheFAFSAfortheupcomingacademicyearcangethelpwithitatCollegeGoalSunday.In2007,theeventwasheldattwentysitesaroundMaine.
SAD 60’s “Believe Committee”
In2004,theSchoolBoardofMaineSchoolAdministrativeDistrict60inNorthBerwickestablishedacommitteeofsmallandlargebusinesses,parentsandeducatorscalledthe“BelieveCommittee”tochallengetheprevailingmindsetintheircommunitythatahighschooleducationisenoughandcollegeisaluxury.Thegroupof18to24peoplehasbeenmeetingregularlyforthreeyears.Itaddressesculturalbarri-erstocollegebypromotingawarenessandbuildingsupportfortheincreasedgraduationrequirementsrecentlyinstitutedatthehighschool.TheBelieveCommitteehastargetedfinancialbarrierstocollegebyhostingeventsaimedatgivingparentsfinancialaidinformationandfinancialplanningtoolsbeginningwhentheirchildrenareinelementaryschool.Ithasdevelopedfinancialaidworkshopsspecificallyforparentsofchildreninkindergartenthroughgrade3;grades4and5;
middleschool;andhighschool.TheAssistantSuperinten-dentexplainsthatseveralSchoolBoardmembersarefinancialplanners,andlocalbanksareveryinvolvedinthecommittee,andthatthesemembershavebeeneffectiveinhelpingparentsunderstandwhattheycandotostartearlyinpreparingtheirchildrenfinanciallyforcollege.Sheadvises,“Trytoengagedifferentpeopleinthecommunity.Getyourbusinessesin-volved.Bewillingtolistentowhatpeoplearelookingfor.”
CONCLUSIONS
Maineschoolsandcommunitiesareemployingmanypromis-ingpracticesaimedatremovingbarrierstocollege,andmanyofthesepracticeshavebeenimplementedwithinthepastseveralyears.Wenoticedthat,atmanyofthesites,multiplestrategiesareinplaceindifferentcombinations.Someprac-tices,suchascareer/collegecentersatschool,addressmultiplebarrierstocollege.Exposingallstudentstocollegeaddressessocial/culturalbarriers,andthereareanumberofwaystoaddressacademicbarriers,suchasincreasinggraduationre-quirementsandimprovingthetransitionfrommiddletohighschool.WhileFAMEhasanumberofstatewideprogramsthathelpMainefamiliesnavigatefinancialbarrierstocollege,wehadadifficulttimeidentifyingmanyschoolsorcommuni-tiesthatareaddressingtheseissues.
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AswefoundinthefirstBarriersreport,thevastmajorityofhighschoolstudentsandtheirparentshavecollegeaspirations.Col-lege-goingamongMainehighschoolgraduatesisnotgrowing,however,andtoomanystudentswhoenrollincollegedonotpersist.Thisresearchoffersevidenceaboutwhycollegeenroll-mentisnotgrowingalongwithaspirations,andhowMainecanhelpmorestudentsrealizetheiraspirations:
• Most educators do not believe that all students are capable of graduating from high school ready for college. Whilethisispartiallyduetofactorslikestudentmaturityandmotivation,someeducatorsstillhavealimitedviewofcollegeasafour-yeardegreeprogramintheliberalartsandsciences.• There is a lack of awareness, particularly among parents and students, that similar math, reading, and writing skills are needed for success both at college and in the workplace.• While educators and current college students believe that planning for after high school should begin early, many stu-dents are not starting until their junior year.Manyparentssaythatitisdifficulttogetstartedplanningfortheirchild’sfuture.Someschooldistrictshavenotbuiltcareerexplorationandcol-legepreparationintotheschoolday.• There is work to be done improving academic readiness for college, particularly for students not in an Honors/AP aca-demic track.Notenoughstudentsaretakingadvancedmathcourses.Manystudentsareconcernedorapprehensivethattheywillnotbeadequatelyacademicallypreparedforcollege.• There is not enough awareness of the financial aid process or support for families navigating it.Students’confidenceaboutthefinancialfeasibilityofgoingtocollegeissignificantlylowerthancollegeaspirations.Parentswhothemselvesdidnotgotocollegetendtobelievethatfinanceswillbethedeterminingfactorinwhetherornottheirchildattendscollege.Managingmoneyandfinancialmattersisanareawherestudentstendtofeelunderpreparedforlifeafterhighschool.• Parental involvement is critical.Studentssaythattheirpar-entsarethemosthelpfulresourceinplanningforlifeafterhighschool,andparentalinvolvementisakeyfactorinpredictingcollegeenrollment.
Eight Ways to Make a Difference
1) Continue to broaden the notion of college.Asoneeduca-torputit,“Thereisaprimaryemphasisonfour-yearcollegesanduniversities.Ithinkthatthereneedstobemoreeducationandawarenesspresentedtostudentsonthebenefitoftwo-yearandvocationalcolleges.Thismayreachstudentswhohavenotthoughtaboutcollegeassomethingthatisforthem.”• High schoolsandcollegescanimproveawarenessamongeducatorsaboutthefullarrayofprogramsandmajors—bothtwo-yearandfour-year—offeredatcollegesanduniversities.• Astheskillsneededforcollegeandworkbecomeincreasinglysimilar,businessesandcollegescanreinforcetheneedforbetterpreparationforallstudentsbyinformingMainecitizens—educa-tors,parents,students,andemployees—abouttheskillsneededforsuccessatcollegeandintheworkplace.
2) Expose students to college, starting at a young age. Particu-larlyforfirst-generationfamilies,itisimportanttogetparentsaswellasstudentsfamiliarwithcollege.Olderelementaryandmiddleschoolstudents,aswellashighschoolstudents,shouldhavetheseopportunities.• Schoolscanarrangeinformalvisits,suchasattendingcampusartsorsportingevents,aswellasofficialtoursandmoreexten-sivevisits.• High schoolsandcollegescanbuildandexpandearlycol-legepartnerships,providingmoreopportunitiesforhighschoolstudentstoenrollincollegecourses.• Collegescanopentheirdoorstoyoungerstudents.Inviteparticipantsinvacationorsummerrecreationprogramstousethegymorpool,havelunchinthecafeteria,andmeetsomecollegestudents.Sportsteamscanhostlocalyouthgroupsforoccasionalclinics.• Studentscanseekopportunities,andsayyeswhenofferedop-portunities,tovisitcolleges.
3) Start career exploration early.Programsthataredevelopmen-tally-appropriatecanbroadenstudents’horizons,convincethemthattheefforttheyputintoschoolnowwillpayoffbyexpandingtheiroptionsinthefuture,andraiseawarenessofthefullarrayofcareersthatexist.• Elementary and middle schoolscanbuildcareerexplora-tionintocurriculaatalllevels.
PART IV: IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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• High schoolscandevelopprogramsforstudentsineachgradethatexplicitlyleadthemtoconnectinterestswithpossiblecareersandtofindoutwhateducationisrequired.Someschoolshavesuccessfullybuiltthisintotheiradvisoryprogramsandintocareer/collegecentersatschool.• Businessescanhoststudentsforsitevisitsandjobshadows,encourageemployeestoserveasmentors,andsponsorvisitstocollegeprogramsrelatedtotheirindustry.• Parents and community memberscansharetheirownex-perienceswiththeirchildren,relatives,andfriends,sothatmorestudentslearnaboutdifferentpathstosuccess.
“Too often, we take for granted that everyone knows about jobs and college, but it’s just not the case for everyone. Many kids aren’t ready to start thinking about their future in 8th grade. But if you at least introduce them to it, it might help them to take course-selection in high school a little more seriously.” —a Maine college student
4) Ensure that all students have rigorous educational experi-
ences. Maintainandcommunicatehighexpectations,andmakesureallstudentstakecollegepreparatorymathcourseseveryyearinhighschool.ParticularlyforstudentsinaGeneralorVoca-tionaltrack,academicrigorandintentionalcareerandcollegeplanningmayneedimprovement.• Schoolsshouldprovidechallenging,rigorouscoursestoallstudents.• Parentscangetinvolvedintheirchild’scourseselectionbeginninginmiddleschool.Theyshouldensurethattheirchildchoosesthemostrigorouscoursestheycan,advocatefortheresourcesneededtosupportsuccessfulexperiences,andsupportstudentstostickwithit.• StudentsshouldtakeAlgebra1in8thor9thgrade(whichmeansgettingadequatemathpreparationintheearliergrades),andcontinuetotakearigorouscourseofstudy,includingamathcourse,everyyearofhighschool.Senioryearisnotatimetocoast.Learningtothinkandwritetakeshardwork—pushyourself!
5) Enlist Maine colleges (faculty, staff, and students).Onead-ministratorsuggests,“Universityandhighschoolfacultiesneed
topartnerintheareasofcurriculum,instruction,andassess-menttoshrinkthedisconnect…providetutorialhelpatthehighschools;administercollegeplacementteststohighschooljuniorsandfirstsemesterseniorsandprovidetutorstohelpstudentsmeetcutoffscoresandrealizetherigorofcollegework.”• College administrators and facultycanmakeconnectionswithareahighschools.Invitehighschoolteacherstovisitcol-legecoursesintheirdiscipline.Bringcollegeadministratorsandhighschoolguidancestafftogethertoshareknowledgeaboutplacementtests,admissions,andfinancialaid.• College studentscanengageincommunityservicebyvisit-inglocalhighschools(andtheirhomehighschools)regularlytoserveasmentorsortosupplementthecollegeadvisingavailableatschool.Theycansharetheirexperienceswiththecollegeapplicationprocessandtherealitiesofcollegelife.
6) Get businesses involved.Businessesareinauniquepositiontohelp,andinthelong-termtheireffortswillpayoffwithamorehighly-educatedworkforce.Businesses can:• Thinkoftheiremployeesasparentsofthenextgeneration’sworkforce,andprovidethemwithinformationandservicestoensurethattheycaneffectivelyhelptheirchildrenprepareforsuccess.• Inviteeducatorstovisitworksitestoshowthemthejobskillsthatareindemand,anddescribetheexpectationsofemployeesintermsofreading,writing,andmathproficiency.• Foremployeeswithachildinhighschool,giveoneadditionaldayoffeachyearforcollegecampusvisits.Theycanhostcollegeandfinancialaidinformationsessionson-siteandprovideem-ployeeswithhands-onhelpwithcompletingtheFAFSA,eitherbybringinginfinancialaidexpertsorbylinkingemployeeswhohavebeenthroughtheprocesswiththosefacingitforthefirsttime.
7) Start financial planning and saving for college early. • Parentscansaveforcollegestartingwhentheirchildrenareborn.Bythesametoken,itisnevertoolatetostartsavingforcollege.• Studentswhoworkcansaveaportionoftheirearningsforcollege.• Community memberswithexpertisecanprovideworkshopsorcounselingforschoolsandparents.
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8) Make sure all families complete the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).Farfewerfamiliesthanareeligibleapplyforfinancialaid.InMaine,federalandstategrantaidcanadduptonearly$6,000peryearofcollege,dependingonfamilyincome.FAFSAresultsarealsousedtodetermineloanoffersandbymanycollegestoallocateinstitutionalfinancialaid.• High schoolsshouldexplainthenecessarystepsandtheap-propriatetimingforcompletingtheFAFSAaspartofcareerandcollegecounselingforallstudents.• ParentscancompletetheirfederaltaxreturnsinJanuaryoftheirchild’ssenioryearsothattheinformationneededfortheFAFSAisaccurateandavailableontime.Thiswillputthestudentinthebestpositiontoreceivefinancialaidfromthegovernmentandfromtheircollege.
“The biggest challenge is getting students and families to prepare and save for several years prior to starting col-lege. It is not the amount that is saved that is so impor-tant…it is more for students and families to feel vested in the process. If families spend time saving for college, then chances are quite good that other areas of the student’s preparation are being scrutinized and planned for (such as rigorous math, science, and college-level high school classes).” —a Maine college administrator
About the Mitchell InstituteThe core mission of the Mitchell Institute is to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education.Eachyear,theMitchellInstituteawardsa$5,000scholarshiptoagraduatingseniorfromeverypublichighschoolinMaine.Selectionisbasedonacademicpromise,financialneed,andahistoryofcommunityservice.TheMitchellScholarshipProgramhasawardedmorethan$5.7millioninfinancialassistancetonearly1,400Mainestudentssince1995.MitchellInstitutesupportprogramscreateongoingScholarandAlumniinvolvementinleadershipandprofessionaldevelopment,aswellascommunityserviceandmentoringactivities.TheMitchellInstitutestrengthenstheinvolvementofanewgenerationofcivic-mindedandcommittedcitizenswhilecreatingeducationalopportunityforMaine’syoungpeople.
ThroughalongitudinalstudyoftheMitchellScholarsandbroaderstatewideresearch,theMitchellInstitutecontributestothebodyofknowledgeaboutpostsecondaryeducationinMaine.Ourgoalsaretoensurethatourscholarshipandsupportprogramresourcesareusedeffectively,tomeasuretheimpactsofbeingaMitchellScholar,andtolearnaboutpracticalbarrierstopostsecondaryeducationinMaineandhowtomakecollegemoreaccessibletoMainehighschoolstudents.
TheGreatSchoolsPartnership,asupportingorganizationoftheMitchellInstitute,iscommittedtostrengtheningandredesigningMaine’ssystemofpublicsecondaryeducationtoimprovethequalityoflearningforeveryhighschoolstudentinthestate.IncollaborationwithorganizationsandeducatorsacrossMaineandthenation,theGreatSchoolsPartnershipisworkingtoraiseeducationalaspirationsandachievementbycreatingequitable,rigorous,andpersonalizedacademicprogramsthatprepareallstudentsforcollege,work,andcitizenshipinthe21stcentury.
22MonumentSquare,Suite200Portland,Maine04101(207)773-7700www.mitchellinstitute.org
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