Posts published in July, 2013
Better Student Information Leads To Better College Choice
By Laurel Horn: Fordham Foundation
The missed opportunity in the education of gifted students runs up and down the system, including into and beyond the college gate. Last December, Caroline Hoxby and Christopher Avery showed that there are far more high-achieving, low-income students than previously thought—but that these young people, unaware of their options, often do not even apply to selective colleges. Now, Hoxby and Sarah Turner report on a well-crafted intervention aimed at closing the information gap. It’s called the Expanding College Opportunities (ECO) Project. After sending and emailing customized informational packets (which consisted of college-specific information and application fee waivers, alongside guidance on how to apply to selective colleges, on the net cost of college, and on colleges’ varying graduation rates—all at $6 a pop) to high-achieving seniors (10,000 of them in 2010–11, with a control group of 2,500, and 15,000 in 2011–12, with a control group of 3,000), the authors saw positive results: Compared to the control group, recipient students were 20 percent more likely to apply to public and private schools with similarly high-achieving students. And in this Hamilton Project paper, the authors outline ways to bring this initiative to scale: First, in order to scale up the number of students reached, the ECO project will need to team up with credible, established institutions, such as the College Board and ACT. Second, because the Census recently stopped gathering data on incomes, housing values, occupations, and adults’ education, the authors propose that the federal government allow them access to other sources of this data—via FAFSA, for instance, or Title IV programs. Third, the authors propose to apply similar interventions to different subgroups of students, such as those earlier in the high-school sequence, guiding them on AP classes or subject-specific achievement tests. Lastly (and predictably), the authors call for more research.
New Counseling Model Has Big Impact
State and federal policymakers are striving to improve four-year college attendance for disadvantaged students. Despite a dramatic increase in the opportunity to attend college, disadvantaged students often enroll at higher rates in two-year colleges, which are associated with lower educational attainment and earnings. Successfully navigating the complex and unpredictable procedures of four-year college applications and financial aid requires students to make plans and take actions that in turn depend on college knowledge and assistance, which many students cannot get from their parents. Besides being limited by time constraints, counselors’ effectiveness is also limited by the standard counseling model that serves students one-on-one and requires students’ initiative. We find that a new counseling model may improve the types of colleges students attend. Importantly, the most disadvantaged students appear to benefit.
In 2004-2005, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) introduced the college coach program to a diverse group of high schools. One coach was assigned per school and charged with providing help in the enrollment process. The district directed both coaches and counselors to increase the completion of key actions that are particularly important for four-year college enrollment: applying to multiple colleges, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and applying for scholarships. However, coaches’ job tasks and advising strategies differed from those of traditional counselors. Unlike most counselors, coaches spent all of their time helping students with postsecondary plans. Coaches also had innovative advising strategies: (a) Coaches proactively reached out and engaged students. (b) Coaches built trusting relationships with students. (c) Coaches enlisted students to help each other. (d) Coaches often used groups instead of meeting individually with students. Coaches’ strategies allowed them to provide social support, detailed and ongoing help, and monitoring of the completion of actions.
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