Improved and Updated: The College Readiness for All Toolbox
 The College Readiness for All Toolbox recently received a major facelift. Designed for multiple audiences, the Toolbox provides strategies, tools, and resources for increasing college readiness for all students. The updated Toolbox features new tools to Raise Awareness of college access issues with key opinion leaders and community members as well as resources to help policymakers and others introduce Public Policy changes that advance college preparation, enrollment, and completion for underserved students. All the tools in the Toolbox are completely accessible without charge and downloadable in Word or PDF format so that users can adapt them to their particular needs.
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 New Paper: The Link between High School Reform and College Access and Success for Low-Income and Minority Youth
Recently published by the American Youth Policy Forum and the Pathways to College Network, this paper is an updated version of a study completed in 2002 by Monica Martinez and Shayna Klopott. It examines school reform models through the lens of how well they address known predictors of college-going behavior. Models reviewed in the study include: America’s Choice, AVID, Coalition of Essential Schools, First Things First, High Schools That Work, Talent Development High Schools, GE Foundation College Bound, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Project GRAD, early college high schools, and small learning environments.
The report also makes seven recommendations to help high school change efforts improve their impact on the college access and success of underserved students:
- Schools should implement an academically-rigorous common core curriculum.
- Schools should create a system to identify academically-unprepared high school freshman so as to help accelerate their learning.
- Schools should alter their structures to facilitate the development of supportive relationships for students.
- K-12 and postsecondary systems should work together to align high school curricula and college enrollment requirements.
- State education agencies and higher education institutions should work together to ensure that people receive good information about entrance requirements, tests, and college costs.
- Reform model developers should evaluate the relationship between reform initiatives and college preparedness.
- Stakeholders should review the College Readiness for All Toolbox.
[Read the summary | Read the report]
Featured Tool: Academic Rigor and Support Self-Assessment
The Academic Rigor and Support Self-Assessment zeroes in on the research-based policies and practices that are important to schools but that may not be in place. Use this tool to collect data on where to concentrate change efforts. Modified with input from the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the revised tool is now in one simpler-to-use table. The assessment has 50 questions in all.
[Login and go to Assessment Tools to access the entire tool]
Increasing Stakeholder Awareness of the Issues: Sample Tools
- Talking Points – These are typical questions you may encounter when discussing the topic of "college for all" and some ways to answer objections.
- Issue Information - Background information on the issue of providing all students with a college-preparatory curriculum in high school.
[Login and go to Awareness Tools to access these tools]
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College Readiness for All Institute
The College Readiness for All Institute is a "train the trainers" professional development model designed for coaches and trainers who want to use the research-based strategies, tools, and resources in the College Readiness for All Toolbox. A two-day event, the Institute providers participants with the background knowledge and skills they need to support their work with states, school districts, and schools. It also includes training on how to plan and facilitate on-site training events.
For more information, please contact Jackie Burniske at Pacific Resources for Education and Learning.
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