From high school to the future: Potholes on the road to college

From high school to the future: Potholes on the road to college Melissa Roderick, Jenny Nagaoka, Vanessa Coca, and Eliza Moeller March 12, 2008 Chicago, Illinois Report available at http://ccsr.uchicago.edu

Meeting a new challenge: CPS Postsecondary Department and the Consortium’s Research Project Nationwide we’ve seen dramatic increases in the proportion of students aspiring to college: • In 1980, 41 percent of 10th graders aspired to attain a four-year degree. • By 2002, nearly 80 percent of all 10th graders aspired to complete a four-year degree. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Why do so many CPS students who aspire to complete a four-year degree not enroll in college? • Human capital explanations: • Constrained access due to qualifications • Social capital explanations: • Constrained participation in college application • Constrained college search • Financial capital explanations From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

From high school to the future: A first look at Chicago Public School graduates’ college enrollment, college preparation, and graduation from four-year collegeRoderick, Nagaoka, and Allensworth Increasing qualifications is the single most important strategy for improving CPS graduates’ likelihood of enrolling in four-year and more selective colleges, and ultimately their likelihood of attaining a degree. Report available at http://ccsr.uchicago.edu From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008)

Qualifications alone are an incomplete story… • Schools with similar achievement levels have differing college-going rates • Even students with similar qualifications have differing college-going rates • Latinos are less likely to enroll in college than African-American and White students with similar qualifications • Immigrant status is also an incomplete explanation From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Potholes report: What else explains why students do not enroll in four-year colleges? Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller 1. Constrained application: How effectively are CPS graduates participating in the college application process? 2. Constrained search: Are students identifying, applying to, and enrolling in colleges that meet their levels of qualifications? From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

How do we study college application and college search in CPS? • Quantitative: CPS Postsecondary Tracking System (A close look at 2005 graduates) • Senior Exit Questionnaire • 2005 Consortium senior surveys and high school teacher surveys • NSC data with corrections for schools not participating in NSC • Qualitative: A longitudinal study of 105 students in three high schools (class of 2006) • Students interviewed 2 times junior year, 3 times senior year– followed through this fall (two years post high school). • All students coded for main patterns of application and enrollment. Qualitative cases and thematic analysis used in the report. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

This presentation focuses on students who: • Were in all data sources • Graduated from CPS in 2005 • Were not in special education • Had aspirations to complete a four-year degree From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Question 1: How effectively are students participating in the college application process?– Constrained college application From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Summary: Students do not take steps to translate aspirations into enrollment • Many students who aspire to attain a four-year degree make a decision to begin at a two-year college, particularly Latino students • Many students who plan to attend never apply • Many students who get accepted don’t enroll From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Why should we care if students start at two- rather than a four-year college? • Students who begin at two-year schools have a very low probability of completing a bachelor’s degree • Only 10% of students who begin at a two-year school nationally complete a bachelor’s degree within 6 years. • Of 2005 CPS graduates who began at a two-year college, only 57% were still enrolled in any college a year later. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Our analysis finds that two-year colleges are not a choice but a default... • Enrolling in two-year colleges does not seem to be part of a well-formulated plan • Rather students struggle with the college search and application process, and default to two-year colleges in the absence of guidance and information. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Can high schools make a difference? • The analytic problem: Students who report more support from their high school may be those who want to go to college anyway and may seek out that support. • One approach looks at differences in student outcomes at the school level by the average of student and teacher reports. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Examining the effects of school- and student- level characteristics on the probability of taking each step Outcome: Probability of taking each step given that a student reached the previous step. Log odds of: • Planning to attend a four-year college given a student aspires to attain a four-year degree • Applying given a student plans to attend • Getting accepted given a student applied • Enrolling given a student is accepted From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Estimate the probability of completing each step (2-level HLM) Controlling for: • Family background (mother’s education, immigrant status, and neighborhood characteristics) • High school performance (ACT scores and GPA) • Race/ethnicity and gender • Work and involvement in extracurricular activities • Contact with counselors and student reports of parental and teacher support Exclude selective enrollment high schools, and run analysis separately by race/ethnicity From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Today focus specifically on school-level High school college-going culture • Four-year college attendance • Teachers’ assessment of college climate Barbara Schneider “Forming a College Going Culture” (the foundation of a college going culture is in the classrooms through relationships) In the high school, this translates into shared goals among the staff that all students can go to college, and it is their personal responsibility to try and make that happen... Today, more parents of adolescents, even if they have limited resources or have never been to college, expect that their teenagers will attend college...This expectation is inconsistent among high school teachers. To help promote a consistent message, all teachers in a high school should explicitly articulate the expectation that all students will attend postsecondary school and provide resources and opportunities to make that happen.” From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Today focus specifically on school-level High school college-going culture • Four-year college attendance • Teachers’ assessment of college climate • Teachers report of the overall expectation and press for college in the school environment. To what extent [in this school]: • Teachers expect most students to go to college • Teachers help students plan for college outside of class time • The curriculum is focused on helping students get ready for college • Teachers feel it is part of their job to prepare students to succeed in college. • Most of the students are planning to go to college From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Today focus specifically on school-level culture and student-level participation • High school college-going culture • Four-year college attendance • Teachers’ assessment of college climate • Indicators of students’ effective participation in the financial aid process • Whether students submitted a FAFSA From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

School climate matters for whether students plan to attend a four-year college From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

It matters for whether students are accepted to afour-year college From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

And it matters for whether students who are accepted enroll From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

But expectations are not enough… • Schools must also ensure that students are taking the steps they need to effectively manage financial aid application From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Summary • Many CPS students do not take the steps necessary to enroll in four-year colleges • 40 percent of students who aspire to complete a four-year college degree never apply to one. • Planning to attend and apply to a four-year school are major barriers, particularly for Latino students • Teachers and the school environment matter a great deal, especially for students with more marginal qualifications. • Failure to file a FAFSA places students at high risk of not enrolling. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Question 2: Are students effectively searching to find their “best match”?– Constrained college search From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara: Highly Qualified for College • International Baccalaureate student • 24 on the ACT • 3.9GPA (4.7 weighted) • Class Valedictorian • Puerto Rican descent • Strong family press for college; little history of college-going in family • Access to a very selective college or university • Plans to attend a somewhat selective university From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara in Spring of Junior YearExperts Say: College Search • College Search • Originally interested in the Illinois Institute of Art • Late in junior year, changes her mind about art school, but is unable to formulate a new plan or college search • Support • Strong family push for college • Had one pivotal suggestion from a teacher • Has not spoken to a counselor • went to the counseling office once and describes staff as “grouchy” From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara in Fall of Senior YearExperts Say: College Applications • Applications: • Plans to complete 8 applications, including Columbia, DePaul, Loyola, UIC, and Northeastern • “Definitely” going to Columbia College • Support • Visiting a lot of colleges with her mom • Has not had a one-on-one conversation with an adult at her school about her plans From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara in Winter of Senior YearExperts Say: Applications Finished • Applications/Acceptances • Completed applications at Loyola, UIC, Columbia College, and the Illinois Institute of Art • Accepted to Loyola and “definitely” plans to attend • Finance • Very confused about FAFSA; thought she’d have it done in April/May • Support • Has not seen a counselor From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara: I just got signed in for orientation. Interviewer: So you’re definitely going to Loyola? Clara: Uh, [small liberal arts college]. (laughs) Interviewer: Ah, that’s what I want to know. Last time I talked to you, you were like I mean I’ll give you the list that you told me. ‘Cause Loyola you had been accepted to. Clara: Yeah. And Columbia. Columbia was like the first. Interviewer: [Small liberal arts college] is not on this list. Last time you said Loyola, UIC, and Columbia. [Clara: (laughs) Yeah.]What happened? Clara: Um, well my mom we passed by the school and I’m like this is a nice school. What is that? And then we looked and it’s like [name of small liberal arts college]. So my mom like started looking up stuff she’s like, “I think you’d like this school.” And so we looked at it, the web page and then we signed up for the tour and I was like I really love this school. In the spring of her senior year, Clara described how she made her final college choice: From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara at the End of Senior Year • Acceptance/Choice • Going to [small liberal arts college] • Also accepted to Loyola, UIC, Columbia, Illinois Institute of Art, Northeastern, and two city colleges • Finance • Bulk of tuition covered by need- and merit-based aid • Support • Wishes her school made college visits mandatory From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Clara From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Conclusions • The college application process is overwhelming, even for highly qualified students. • Students engage in very limited and chaotic searches and don’t know how to think about “fit”. • Students have great difficulty managing the financial aid process. • Teacher support and school climate matter a great deal in guiding college enrollment and college match. • Schools must structure this process. Does college choice really matter for students like Clara? YES From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Bottom line Take Home Message 1: Qualifications will not translate into enrollment if high schools do not provide better structure and support for students in the college search, planning, and application process: 1. Structuring junior and senior year 2. Paying attention to match 3. Financial aid From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

Bottom line Take Home Message 2: Closing the social capital gap is critical for high school reform. Strong guidance and strong college norms must be both a precursor and essential support for raising achievement. • We cannot ask students to work hard if our graduates could have worked less hard in high school to enroll in the colleges they end up attending. From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College (2008) Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, and Moeller

From high school to the future: Potholes on the road to college