Inside Higher Ed – Ashley A. Smith
“Educators and researchers have long urged colleges to get students on a college and career pathway as early as possible in order to raise completion rates. But that’s often difficult to do when college students arrive underprepared. Either they’re behind academically and need remediation or they delay in deciding on a career path. This becomes especially hard as colleges — and the K-12 school districts that first educate these students — struggle to provide counselors and advisers to help students get on track. A growing number of colleges and educators want to better prepare students by reaching them long before they fill out a college application. Minneapolis Public Schools looked to address this problem in 2006 with an initiative called My Life Plan. Similarly, Achieving the Dream, a completion-focused nonprofit group, is hoping a larger national initiative to better connect K-12 with community colleges and four-year institutions will help students be more successful.”(more)