Based on the reports, JFF issued recommendations
for federal and state policies that would "double the numbers"
of young people who complete college or earn another postsecondary
credential.
- Align expectation, curricula, and assessments
with those of postsecondary institutions.
- Provide low-achieving students with
opportunities to take and succeed in advanced courses.
- Connect students to the world beyond
the high school walls by internships, community service, and
work experience.
- Set up data systems that track students
over time and hold postsecondary and secondary institutions
accountable for how well they help students complete a recognized
postsecondary credential by age 26.
- Eliminate boundaries between high school
and college. For example, early college high schools, middle
college high schools, and dropout recovery programs at community
colleges permit students to accelerate their route to higher
education and earn college credit at the same time.
- Offer incentives that reward secondary
and postsecondary institutions when students successfully progress
to and through college.
"The nation can no longer focus on high school reform as
a standalone endeavor and regularly ignore as many as half of
the young people who drop out of the education system before earning
high school and college degrees," says Pennington. "And
we're spending millions of dollars and substantial political capital
building high school exit exams that ignore the next part of the
pipeline: how to ensure that students gain the credentials and
the education required for career jobs and college-level studies."
The JFF/LSPA opinion survey shows that Americans are optimistic
about many of the initiatives already in use nationwide to prepare
all students for high school and college success: for example,
smaller high schools, need-based aid, and scholarship programs.
According to the poll, Americans believe cost is the most important
impediment faced by students—especially from lower-income
families—in the pursuit of a college degree.
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS)—supported by the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation and administered by the United
Negro College Fund—is an example of a scholarship program
that helps qualified minority youth attend the higher education
institution of their choice. Early analysis of the program shows
that GMS scholarship recipients are more likely than non-recipients
to attend and stay in a four-year or private college.
"Qualified students, regardless of the race, ethnicity,
or financial background, should not have to trim their ambitions
and be denied the opportunity to attend college," said Tom
Vander Ark, executive director of education at the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation. "Gates Millennium Scholars are
showing that when financial and other barriers are removed, students
from the most challenging backgrounds can achieve, attend college,
and prepare to become leaders in a range of professions and our
communities."
But cost is not the only obstacle, the poll says. A majority
of Americans believes that high schools need to do more to prepare
students for college. They want to see better high school teachers
in the classroom. Moreover, they feel it is important for guidance
counselors to do more to help students understand the value of
college and to help them choose and apply to colleges that are
right for them.
According to the JFF/Parthenon Group research, the barriers
to college entrance and success are especially great for low-income
families and other underrepresented youth, including minorities
and immigrants who are learning English. For example, only 19
percent of lower-income families complete an Associate's degree
or higher, compared to 76 percent of high-income families.
According to the report, if the United States is to address
anticipated shortages of 12 million highly skilled workers by
2020, we must radically change how we educate and support low-income
students and minority students, who comprise the fastest-growing
segments of the youth population. This requires transforming how
we prepare young people for college, breaking down the barriers
that separate schools and postsecondary education, and developing
new incentives for individuals to attend college and for institutions
to enroll and retain students.
The public opinion study found near universal agreement that
the high number of students who fail to go from high school to
complete a college degree is a major problem facing the nation.
Moreover, most people appreciate that this problem threatens not
only the economic well-being of students who leave school without
a college (or even a high school) degree but also the potential
of the U.S. economy as a whole.
National partners in the "Double
the Numbers" conference include the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation,
and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The national public opinion survey of 1,010 Americans age 18
and older was conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates in
September through October 5, 2003. It included oversamples of
African Americans and Hispanics. Altogether, 639 non-Hispanic
whites, 161 non-Hispanic African Americans, and 171 Hispanics
were surveyed. For results based on total sample, oversampled
groups were weighted to reflect their true representative proportion.
##
Jobs for the Future believes that all young people
should have a quality high school and postsecondary education,
and that all adults should have the skills needed to hold jobs
that pay enough to support a family. As a non-profit research,
consulting and advocacy organization, JFF works to strengthen
our society by creating educational and economic opportunity for
those who need it most.
The Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation is building upon the unprecedented
opportunities of the 21st century to improve equity in global
health and learning. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates
Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based foundation has an
endowment of approximately $25 billion.
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