November 2007

The guiding principles and research-based resources of the Pathways to College Network have been highlighted in a number of new publications. In The American Indian and Alaska Native Student’s Guide to College Success by Pavel and Inglebret (2007), the authors cite PCN’s signature report A Shared Agenda and discuss the relevance of its six guiding principles to the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The authors also highlight PCN as “one of the premier Internet resources committed to using research-based knowledge to improve postsecondary education access and success for the nation’s underserved students,” and also note the value of PCN’s extensive on-line Publications and Resources to practitioners, researchers, and policymakers.

In Piecing Together the Student Success Puzzle: Research, Propositions, and Recommendations, the research findings of the Pathways to College Network are frequently cited and PCN’s six guiding principles with related action steps are detailed.
See Piecing together the student success puzzle, George D. Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, Jennifer A. Buckely, Brian K. Bridges, & John C. Hayek, 2007. ASHE Higher Education Report, Volume 32: No. 5, Jossey-Bass Higher & Adult Education Series, San Francisco, CA: Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In A Voice From The Middle: Highlights of the 2007 NASSP/PDK Middle School Poll, a report from the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Phi Delta Kappa International, Pathways to College Network is cited as a “valuable resource for students, parents, educators, and policy makers who want to close the college gap.” This nationwide survey of 1,814 students in seventh and eighth grades conducted by Harris International reveals several stark contrasts between students’ educational goals and their beliefs about how they will achieve them.
[Read the report]

And, Pathways’ two new publications, Frequently Asked Questions about College Access and Success and The Facts: Postsecondary Access and Success, were widely disseminated in online newsletters published by ACE, NASFAA, NCHELP, and HEWI.

SREB Go Alliance Annual Conference
The Southern Regional Education Board held its Go Alliance Annual Conference in Atlanta on November 13th-15th. Participants seeking to strengthen new and existing college access marketing campaigns benefited from a wide range of sessions including using new media, creating a strong brand, working effectively with community based organizations, and adapting best practices to regional and local efforts. In January 2008, look for the Go Alliance and Pathways to College Network’s updated and redesigned College Access Marketing (CAM) website. For more information visit www.collegeaccessmarketing.com.

Creating a Blueprint 2007: Building Support for Students from Foster Care on Higher Education Campuses
Ruth Sherman represented Pathways to College Network at Creating a Blueprint 2007: Building Support for Students from Foster Care on Higher Education Campuses held in Santa Clara, California from November 7th -9th. With a focus on discussing and disseminating new program development strategies, advocacy exemplars, and policy advances, the conference drew more than 300 participants committed to increasing college access and success for students from foster care. Pathways' partner Casey Family Programs, a prominent leader in this field, was a conference sponsor.

National Association of System Heads Receives Funding for National Initiative
The National Association of System Heads (NASH) received support from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a new national initiative. Access to Success is designed to increase the number of college-educated Americans and ensure that graduates include more young people from low-income and minority families. Each of the 19 participating NASH member systems will develop goals to improve student outcomes and use a common set of metrics to evaluate their progress. By 2015, their goal is to close by at least half the gaps in both college-going and degree completion that separate low-income and minority students from others. The Education Trust will release these data annually. For more information, see http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Press+Room/AccessToSuccessLaunch.htm.

The Family: America's Smallest Schools
The Family: America’s Smallest School focuses on six major areas that predict academic success outside of school: the parent-pupil ratio, family finances, literacy development, child care and the home as an educational resource. Combined, these factors allude to the impact that at-home factors contribute to in school development. [Read report]

Building a Culture of Evidence in Community Colleges: Lessons from Exemplary Institutions
This report examines four nationally leading colleges who are strengthening student outcomes by strategically using institutional research to inform decision-making, budgeting processes, and teaching and learning. The report, prepared by Jobs for the Future, provides college leaders with practical approaches, solutions, and strategies for implementing an institution-wide culture of evidence and suggests state and system policy levers that could be used to increase the adoption of these practices at greater numbers of colleges.
[Read the report]

Camino de la Universidad
Author Raymond Padilla examines recent published studies that may identify conceptual approaches to the study of Latinos and higher education and specific findings that may have relevance for policy and practice. Looking at how Latino student educational success is shaped by how the student navigates three contexts—the macro context, the meso context, and the micro context—Padilla enumerates findings from the studies to support each context.
[Read the report]

The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual Enrollment: An Analysis of Student Outcomes in Two States
Researchers at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, examined the outcomes of dual enrollment participation for students in Florida and New York City, with particular emphasis on students in career and technical education (CTE) programs. The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual Enrollment: An Analysis of Student Outcomes in Two States analyzed both short-term and long-term effects of participation in dual enrollment and differential effects based on demographics such as race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. The authors report positive effects from participation and provide evidence that dual enrollment can be an effective transition strategy for a variety of students.
[Read the report]