Helping Former Foster Youth Graduate from College

Campus support programs provide financial, academic, and other types of supports to help former foster youth succeed in college. However, relatively little is known about the impact of these programs on college retention or graduation rates. This study lays the groundwork for an impact evaluation by examining program implementation from two different perspectives. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with the directors of 10 campus support programs in California and Washington State. The interviews covered a variety of domains, including the population served, referral sources and recruitment, the application process, the provision of services and supports, program staff, relationships with stakeholders, and data collection. In addition, participants from 8 of the 10 programs completed a web-based survey that asked about their perceptions of and experiences with the program. The survey included questions about students' demographic characteristics, referral and recruitment, the application process, reasons for participating in the program, services and supports received, unmet needs, contact with staff, and recommendations for improvement. The report concludes with several recommendations for moving forward with a methodologically sound impact evaluation of campus support programs for former foster youth

Open Source Micro Diplomas: New Credentials for New Learning

The standard model for college in America—a four-year bachelor’s degree that teaches critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and written communication skills—is unaffordable and unattainable for most Americans. Only about a third of citizens aged 25 and over have achieved a baccalaureate degree or better. Two-thirds are left behind in precarious jobs that pay substantially less and that are losing ground. Everyone from politicians to parents repeats the mantra of “college for all”, but the reality is more like “college for the socio-economically gifted.” At the same time, the modern world of work is evolving into a more complex, technical, and computerized environment that requires specific practical skills more than it needs the traditional white collar college virtues. Society and the market have responded by creating a parallel education system of competency-based skills certifications in almost every industry area. Some 1,800 private, public and government institutions have create more than 3,900 industry certifications that are focused on career paths and technology skills that the economy needs. Over 46 million people have achieved these “Open Source Micro Diplomas” instead of, in addition to, or in spite of a conventional higher ed degree. This paper examines our education outcomes, the evolving future of work, and exemplary industry certification programs to analyze today’s career-oriented education for all segments of society

Experiences of Homeschool High School Students in the Development of Their Educational Plan: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of homeschool high school students in Georgia in the development of their educational plan of study. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory as it relates to learning and development and the interaction of the learner with the environment. Ten participants were identified from the Local Homeschool Association which serves families in 13 counties in the state of Georgia. The study sought to answer this central research question: What are the experiences of homeschool high school students in Georgia in the development of their educational plan of study? Sub-questions included: (a) What are the experiences of homeschool high school students in the development of their academic educational plan of study and their role in course selection? (b) What are the experiences of homeschool high school students in the process of choosing settings for learning academic content and their role in this process? (c) What are the experiences of homeschool high school students related to the impact of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as part of their educational plan and their role in choosing these activities? Data collection involved questionnaires, individual interviews, and physical artifacts. Data were analyzed using the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method described by Moustakas, and five themes emerged through the data analysis process: abundant academic options, individualized and customized instruction, development of life skills, family relationships and values, and significant social opportunities. A discussion regarding implications of findings as well as recommendations for policy, practice, and future research were provided

Seizing the Moment: Realizing the Promise of Student-Centered Learning

This brief outlines policy recommendations for supporting student-centered learning at the local, state, and federal level

Advisor and Student Experiences of Summer Support for College-intending, Low-income high school graduates

Summer melt occurs when students who have been accepted to college and intend to enroll fail to matriculate in college in the fall semester after high school. A high rate of summer melt contributes to the lower postsecondary attainment rates of low-income students, in particular. This article presents qualitative findings from two interventions intended to reduce summer melt among low-income, urban high school graduates who had been accepted to college and indicated their intention to enroll. Results from student and counselor surveys, interviews, and focus groups point to a web of personal and contextual factors that collectively influence students' college preparation behaviors and provide insight into the areas of summer supports from which students like these can benefit. The data fit an ecological perspective, in which personal, institutional, societal, and temporal factors interact to affect students' behaviors and outcomes. A model of summer intervention shows that obstacles in completing college financing and informational tasks can lead college-intending students to re-open the question of where or whether to attend college in the fall after high school graduation. Given the pressure of concerns about how to actualize their offer of admission, students rarely engage in the anticipatory socialization activities that might help them make optimal transitions into college

Technology Solutions for Developmental Math: An Overview of Current and Emerging Practices

Reviews current practices in and strategies for incorporating innovative technology into the teaching of remedial math at the college level. Outlines challenges, emerging trends, and ways to combine technology with new concepts of instructional strategy

Teaching Students with Special Needs in School-Based, Agricultural Education: A Historical Inquiry

The purpose of this historical study was to investigate the inclusion of students with special needs in school-based, agricultural education as reported by The Agricultural Education Magazine and the Journal of Agricultural Education over a time period of six decades. The impact of landmark legislation, such as the Vocational Education Act of 1963, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1990, were examined. This legislation motivated and supported agricultural education’s efforts to meet the learning needs of special education students by providing modified lessons and learning environments, inclusive SAEs and FFA activities, and focused teacher preparation. Challenges and concerns regarding the placement of special needs students in school-based, agricultural education are also discussed, as well as opportunities for related research in the future, especially about their participation in the FFA

Collective Impact for Opportunity Youth

This report was designed to highlight the underlying challenges facing Opportunity Youth (i.e., youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor market) and offers a framework to help communities come together to address these challenges

Assessing California's Multiple Pathways Field

The multiple pathways approach to high school education combines rigorous academic learning and career skills to give students the intellectual and real-world experience to succeed in college, career and life. Growing evidence shows that the multiple pathways approach holds promise for increasing academic engagement and achievement, reducing high school dropout rates and boosting students' future earning power. The James Irvine Foundation engaged the Bridgespan Group to assess the state of the multiple pathways field in California and to make recommendations to strengthen it. Assessing California's Multiple Pathways Field: Preparing Youth for Success in College and Career offers findings and recommendations based on a newly developed framework that assesses the multiple pathways field based on five characteristics of strong fields

Challenges and Opportunities: Student and Practitioner Experiences During COVID-19

This report elevates the voices of those closest to the work—students, AmeriCorps members and teachers – to bring to life their extraordinary efforts to support student success. It draws insights from City Year's work across the country and highlights how three City Year sites and Compass Academy (a charter public middle school in Denver cofounded by City Year, Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and the Denver community in 2015) have adjusted their practices to respond to the unique challenges that students are facing in the wake of COVID-19- induced school closures.The primary sources of data for this research project were eight focus groups, two interviews, and one student survey. Secondary data sources for this project include Compass Academy artifacts, 2020-2021 Compass Academy Mid-Year Survey results as well as the 2020-2021 City Year AmeriCorps member, teacher and principal survey results