College Access & Success System Analysis Execu&ve Summary

Transcription

1 College Access & Success System Analysis Execu&ve Summary Study Conducted By: OMG Center for Collabora/ve Learning Summary Notes Prepared By: Strategic Assessment Team December 2, 2010

2 Contents Purpose of the Study College Access & Success Key Components System Review: Philadelphia System Review: Miami

3 Purpose of the Study College ajainment in the United States is widely recognized as a cri/cal aspect of workforce development and economic success. Recently, leaders in educa/on have promoted systemic approaches for increasing college ajainment, recognizing the power of coordina/on throughout the the K- 16 educa/on pipeline. In 2007, Knight Founda/on commissioned a study by the OMG Center for Collabora/ve Learning to: BeJer understand the college- going pajerns of students and the system of college access and success 1 (CAS) supports in Miami and Philadelphia. Iden/fy opportuni/es for strengthening each system to bejer support college ajainment. Primary Research Ques/ons 1. What is the ideal college access and success system? 2. What do the college access and success system supports look like in Philadelphia & Miami? 3. What do the college access and success student pa@erns look like in each community? 4. What programs that apply naaonal college and success models exist in Philadelphia & Miami? 5. What are the opportuniaes for strengthening the college access and success system in each city? 1 College access is defined as preparing for, earning admission to, and enrolling in college. College success is defined as persis/ng and gradua/ng from college.

4 Supports of a Successful CAS System Research shows that key programma/c efforts, including the development of an overarching culture of access and success, is key to the successful college- going ac/vity of students. The graphic below demonstrates the key program elements of a successful CAS system.

5 ImplicaAons for Strengthening CAS Systems College access and success systems in other ci/es, including Boston and Chicago, have yielded ini/al findings about developing a strong CAS system: Build a citywide college- going culture and invest in more college ajainment supports for student groups with historically lower rates of college enrollment. Provide widespread outreach to students, training for faculty and staff, and messaging that emphasizes college enrollment expectaaons. Promote direct college enrollment, with increased focus on the transi/on from high school to college to prevent delays to enrollment. Enhance resources at the college level to increase the number of at- risk students staying in college and on a pathway to a four- year degree.

6 Philadelphia: College GraduaAon Pipeline College Rate Goal 36% Mayor Michael Nu<er has set a goal to double Philadelphia s current college a<ainment rate of 18% within 5-10 years * Directly enter college for the na/onal cohort is defined as matricula/on in a two- or four- year college within the first semester a1er high school gradua&on. Directly enter college for the Philadelphia cohort is defined by matricula/on in a two- or four- year college within the first year aaer gradua/ng high school. + Gradua/on within 6 years for the na/onal cohort and the Philadelphia cohort includes two- and four- year degrees. However, the na/onal figure only includes two- year degrees obtained within three years. Key Findings Philadelphia lags behind naaonal rates for college enrollment and comple/on. Students from Philadelphia demonstrate lower persistence rates at all stages of the pipeline.

7 Philadelphia: HS GraduaAon & College Enrollment Findings High School Gradua/on Profile ( ) Race: 65% African American, 16% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Asian, <1% Other. Gender: 55% female, 45% male. Socioeconomic Status: 62% ajended schools where all students receive free lunch, 26% received Temporary Assistance for Need Families. College Enrollment ( ) Approximately 49% of Philadelphia graduates ul/mately enroll in college and only 37% enrolled directly following high school, compared to the na/onal average of 69% who directly enroll in college following high school. Female students are more likely than males to ever enroll in college (53% vs. 43%) and are more likely to enroll directly aaer gradua/ng high school (40% vs. 32%). Three ins/tu/ons Community College of Philadelphia, Temple University, Pennsylvania State University cons/tute 50% of ini/al college enrollments.

8 Philadelphia: College RetenAon & GraduaAon Findings College Reten/on ( ) Students were more likely to remain enrolled in college one year later if they: Enrolled directly from high school vs. postponing college matricula/on (76% vs. 48%). AJended a four- year insatuaon vs. two- year ins/tu/on (81% vs. 64%). Hispanic (70%) and African American (70%) students were less likely to remain enrolled one year later than White (83%) and Asian (89%) students. College Gradua/on (2003) Only 52% of public high school graduates who directly enrolled in four- year colleges earned a bachelor degree within six years. Students who directly enrolled in private colleges were more likely to graduate within six years than students who enrolled in public colleges (63% vs. 40%).

9 Philadelphia: College Access System Overview CAS System Map This graphic depicts key actors in Philadelphia s CAS system. OMG iden/fied the primary stakeholder categories for CAS systems na/onally then populated this analysis for Philadelphia based on educa/on prac//oner interviews and a landscape review. Key Findings The system historically developed individual programs but increasingly promotes coordinaaon. Several ini/a/ves exist to foster collaboraaon and partnership among organiza/ons at both the city/system level and at the school level.

10 Philadelphia: OpportuniAes to Strengthen CAS System Ins/tu/onalize the efforts of the Mayor s Council for College and Career Success, an important opportunity for city- level coordina/on of college programs and messaging. When providing college- going supports at the high school level, emphasize the benefits of direct enrollment in college in the fall following high school gradua/on instead of delayed enrollment, as students who immediately enroll are more likely to persist and graduate. Invest in efforts to bridge and align college- going supports (accountability systems, curriculum, and suppor/ve services) from K- 12 and higher educa/on to ensure con/nuity. A strong CAS system strives to provide seamless support throughout the K- 16 pipeline. Many college access and success supports in Philadelphia currently target at- risk groups, yet it is s/ll largely up to students to self- select to receive supports. More systema/c outreach could be used to engage students who do not self- select to receive college access supports.

11 Miami: College GraduaAon Pipeline Project Challenges Despite several months ajemp/ng to gather student data from the Miami school district, OMG was unable to acquire college persistence and gradua/on data. * Directly enter college for the na/onal cohort is defined as matricula/on in a two- or four- year college within the first semester a1er high school gradua&on. Directly enter college for the Philadelphia cohort is defined by matricula/on in a two- or four- year college within the first year aaer gradua/ng high school. + Gradua/on within 6 years for the na/onal cohort and the Philadelphia cohort includes two- and four- year degrees. However, the na/onal figure only includes two- year degrees obtained within three years. Key Findings Of the 50 largest ci/es, Miami ranks 41 st for the percent of adults with a high school degree.

12 Miami: Importance of a Strong CAS System Educa/onal ajainment levels in Miami are among the lowest for large ci/es. Out of the 50 largest ciaes, Miami ranks 41 st in terms of adults who have earned at least a high school educa/on. Increased CAS is a driver for economic growth and prosperity. If Miami increased its college a@ainment rate by one percent (from 25.7 to 26.7), the Miami metropolitan area would see a $1.7 billion increase in aggregate personal income. 1 A strong CAS system would help to break cycles of poverty and racial inequality. In Florida, 78% of Hispanics and 84% of African Americans have a high school creden/al, compared with 90% of Whites. 2 In Miami- Dade Country, 54.7% of Non- Hispanic Whites age 25 and older had a college degree or higher, compared to 32% of Hispanics 20% of Non- Hispanic Blacks. 3 If all racial/ethnic groups in Florida had the same educa/onal ajainment and earnings as Whites, total annual personal income in the state would be about $27 billion higher. 4 1 CEOs for Ci/es, The Talent Dividend: Gains from Improving Metropolitan Performance (2009). 2 The Na/onal Center For Public Policy And Higher Educa/on (2008). Measuring Up 2008: The Na/onal Report Card on Higher Educa/on. 3 Miami- Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning, Educa/onal AJainment (2008) 4 The Na/onal Center For Public Policy And Higher Educa/on (2008). Measuring Up 2008: The Na/onal Report Card on Higher Educa/on

13 Miami: College Access System Overview CAS System Map This graphic depicts key actors in Miami s CAS system. OMG iden/fied the primary stakeholder categories for CAS systems na/onally then populated this analysis for Miami based on educa/on prac//oner interviews and a landscape review. Key Findings The system is highly fragmented, with efforts supported by stakeholders including the business community, local colleges, the City of Miami, local funders and the school district. Few organiza/ons exist primarily to support post- secondary outcomes.

14 Miami: CAS Stakeholder Analysis K- 12 School District: Many CAS organiza/ons perceive the district s size and bureaucracy as an impediment to partnership that results in fragmented CAS efforts. School & Community- Based Programs: Few CAS programs operate in Miami, leaving a gap that other youth- serving organiza/ons ajempt to fill; demand for CAS services exceeds available resources. Business Community: The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is advancing CAS as an economic development issue and lobbying for policy changes. Funders: Funders operate independently and fund disjointed pieces of the CAS system. Parents, Families & Mentors: It has been challenging to engage low- income, immigrant parents; however, successful parent engagement models exist that could be expanded. Higher EducaAon: Miami Dade College and Florida Interna/onal University are the primary ins/tu/ons of higher educa/on promo/ng CAS for Miami public school students, yet there are many other poten/al players in the region that could be more involved.

15 Miami: OpportuniAes to Strengthen CAS System There is a moment of opportunity to advance CAS in Miami. Funders and program providers with an interest in CAS (like the Posse Founda/on and College Summit) have recently commenced work in Miami. Exis/ng organiza/ons and founda/ons should lead the charge to coordinate efforts. The city could pilot a holis/c set of CAS supports beginning with a set of schools spanning the K- 12 pipeline that cater to the same group of students; by star/ng with one feeder pajern, the city could accurately measure the impact of CAS supports and scale successful programs more efficiently. A lead organiza/on should coordinate and promote CAS ini/a/ves across the mul/ple CAS actors opera/ng in the city. Model ci/es exhibit this form of leadership. Large founda/ons can ins/tu/onalize partnerships and ini/a/ves through aligning resources, providing technical assistance, building a lead organiza/on, crea/ng a larger base of support for CAS, and developing integrated data systems to track student outcomes.