SAN JOSE, Calif.
States are pushing colleges, universities, and K-12 schools to work together, but many state policies work at odds with the reforms needed to improve students’ college readiness and success, according to a new study. At a time when the nation must have citizens who have achieved educational success beyond high school, the need for improved transitions from high school to college is urgent.
These are among the findings of “The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success,” released jointly by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research and the Institute for Educational Leadership.
The report identifies four areas in which states can work to improve the transition from high school to college:
Andrea Venezia, senior policy analyst at the National Center and co-author of the report states, “This study outlines concrete policy changes states can put into place, and stresses the importance of both systems working together. We believe it will help states take that next step and change the policies that drive their education systems.”
However, the report says remediation rates are disturbingly high — approximately 50% nationally — and too few complete their college programs. Out of 100 ninth graders who graduate from high school and immediately enter college, only 27 are still enrolled their sophomore year.
The need to improve the transition from high school to college is crucial now, given our global, knowledge-based economy. Students who aspire to participate in the middle-class must complete at least some education or training beyond high school. And according to Patrick Callan, president of the National Center and co-author of the report, this need extends far beyond individual aspirations. “To compete in the global economy, businesses and communities-and our nation as a whole-must have a college-educated populace,” he says. “We must make sure our education systems better suit students’ needs and aspirations-and our country’s needs.”
