“Effective College Access, Persistence, and Completion Programs, and Strategies for Underrepresented Populations: Opportunities for Scaling Up”; Spradlin, Terry E., et al.; Center for Evaluation & Education Policy, 2010.
Description: This study by the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy includes a literature review of thre major non-academic areas that are tied to student persistence, including financial, psychological, and institutional. It also has information about transition programs, mentoring and learning communities.
“Paving the Way to Postsecondary Education: k-12 Intervention Programs for Underrepresented Youth”; Gandara, Patricia; National Center for Education Statistics.
Description: This study showed that when there is close student, mentor, teacher relationships participants had lower rates of college remediation. It also showed that when students have a culturally sensitive counselor or mentor that leads to a 9% increase in college enrollment.
“How Do Pre-Collegiate Academic Outreach Programs Impact College-Going Among Underrepresented Students?”; Gullatt, Yvette and Wendy Ja; Pathways to College Network Clearinghouse, 2003.
Description: This study showed that students who received counseling services were more likely to enroll in college and complete freshman year. It also showed that providing a formal, long-term mentoring program that stresses academic goals and has contact at least once a week causes participants to have higher GPAs and higher rates of college attendance.
“College Knowledge: Addressing Information barriers to College”; Vargas, Joel H.,Ed.D; The Education Resources Institute (TERI), 2004.
Description: This study showed that students are more likely to attain a college education when they and their families are informed about how to prepare and plan for it. It also showed that even high achieving students from low-income backgrounds who aspire to attend college often encounter informational barriers which may prevent their enrollment.
