College Access & Success System Analysis Executive Summary
Study Conducted By: OMG Center for Collaborative Learning Summary Notes Prepared By: Strategic Assessment Team December 2, 2010
Contents • Purpose of the Study • College Access & Success Key Components • System Review: Philadelphia • System Review: Miami
Purpose of the Study College attainment in the United States is widely recognized as a critical aspect of workforce development and economic success. Recently, leaders in education have promoted systemic approaches for increasing college attainment, recognizing the power of coordination throughout the the K-16 education pipeline. In 2007, Knight Foundation commissioned a study by the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning to: • Better understand the college-going patterns of students and the system of college access and success1 (CAS) supports in Miami and Philadelphia. • Identify opportunities for strengthening each system to better support college attainment. Primary Research Questions 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 patterns look like in each community? 4. What programs that apply national college and success models exist in Philadelphia & Miami? 5. What are the opportunities 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 persisting and graduating from college.
Supports of a Successful CAS System Research shows that key programmatic efforts, including the development of an overarching culture of access and success, is key to the successful college-going activity of students. The graphic below demonstrates the key program elements of a successful CAS system.
Implications for Strengthening CAS Systems College access and success systems in other cities, including Boston and Chicago, have yielded initial findings about developing a strong CAS system: •
Build a citywide college-going culture and invest in more college attainment supports for student groups with historically lower rates of college enrollment.
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Provide widespread outreach to students, training for faculty and staff, and messaging that emphasizes college enrollment expectations.
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Promote direct college enrollment, with increased focus on the transition from high school to college to prevent delays to enrollment.
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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.
Philadelphia: College Graduation Pipeline College Attainment Rate Goal
36% Mayor Michael Nutter has set a goal to double Philadelphia’s current college attainment rate of 18% within 5-10 years
* “Directly enter college” for the national cohort is defined as matriculation in a two- or four-year college within the first semester after high school graduation. “Directly enter college” for the Philadelphia cohort is defined by matriculation in a two- or four-year college within the first year after graduating high school. + “Graduation within 6 years” for the national cohort and the Philadelphia cohort includes two- and four-year degrees. However, the national figure only includes two-year degrees obtained within three years.
Key Findings • Philadelphia lags behind national rates for college enrollment and completion. • Students from Philadelphia demonstrate lower persistence rates at all stages of the pipeline.
Philadelphia: HS Graduation & College Enrollment Findings High School Graduation Profile (2003-2009) • • •
Race: 65% African American, 16% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Asian, <1% Other. Gender: 55% female, 45% male. Socioeconomic Status: 62% attended schools where all students receive free lunch, 26% received Temporary Assistance for Need Families.
College Enrollment (2003-2009) • • •
Approximately 49% of Philadelphia graduates ultimately enroll in college and only 37% enrolled directly following high school, compared to the national 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 after graduating high school (40% vs. 32%). Three institutions – Community College of Philadelphia, Temple University, Pennsylvania State University – constitute 50% of initial college enrollments.
Philadelphia: College Retention & Graduation Findings College Retention (2003-2008) •
Students were more likely to remain enrolled in college one year later if they: – –
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Enrolled directly from high school vs. postponing college matriculation (76% vs. 48%). Attended a four-year institution vs. two-year institution (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 Graduation (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%).
Philadelphia: College Access System Overview CAS System Map This graphic depicts key actors in Philadelphia’s CAS system. OMG identified the primary stakeholder categories for CAS systems nationally then populated this analysis for Philadelphia based on education practitioner interviews and a landscape review.
Key Findings • The system historically developed individual programs but increasingly promotes coordination. • Several initiatives exist to foster collaboration and partnership among organizations at both the city/system level and at the school level.
Philadelphia: Opportunities to Strengthen CAS System •
Institutionalize the efforts of the Mayor’s Council for College and Career Success, an important opportunity for city-level coordination of college programs and messaging.
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When providing college-going supports at the high school level, emphasize the benefits of direct enrollment in college in the fall following high school graduation instead of delayed enrollment, as students who immediately enroll are more likely to persist and graduate.
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Invest in efforts to bridge and align college-going supports (accountability systems, curriculum, and supportive services) from K-12 and higher education to ensure continuity. A strong CAS system strives to provide seamless support throughout the K-16 pipeline.
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Many college access and success supports in Philadelphia currently target at-risk groups, yet it is still largely up to students to self-select to receive supports. More systematic outreach could be used to engage students who do not self-select to receive college access supports.
Miami: College Graduation Pipeline Project Challenges Despite several months attempting to gather student data from the Miami school district, OMG was unable to acquire college persistence and graduation data.
* “Directly enter college” for the national cohort is defined as matriculation in a two- or four-year college within the first semester after high school graduation. “Directly enter college” for the Philadelphia cohort is defined by matriculation in a two- or four-year college within the first year after graduating high school. + “Graduation within 6 years” for the national cohort and the Philadelphia cohort includes two- and four-year degrees. However, the national figure only includes two-year degrees obtained within three years.
Key Findings • Of the 50 largest cities, Miami ranks 41st for the percent of adults with a high school degree.
Miami: Importance of a Strong CAS System •
Educational attainment levels in Miami are among the lowest for large cities. Out of the 50 largest cities, Miami ranks 41st in terms of adults 25-64 who have earned at least a high school education.
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Increased CAS is a driver for economic growth and prosperity. If Miami increased its college attainment 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
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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 credential, 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 educational attainment and earnings as Whites, total annual personal income in the state would be about $27 billion higher. 4
CEOs for Cities, The Talent Dividend: Gains from Improving Metropolitan Performance (2009). The National Center For Public Policy And Higher Education (2008). Measuring Up 2008: The National Report Card on Higher Education. 3 Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning, Educational Attainment (2008) 4 The National Center For Public Policy And Higher Education (2008). Measuring Up 2008: The National Report Card on Higher Education 1 2
Miami: College Access System Overview CAS System Map This graphic depicts key actors in Miami’s CAS system. OMG identified the primary stakeholder categories for CAS systems nationally then populated this analysis for Miami based on education practitioner 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 organizations exist primarily to support post-secondary outcomes.
Miami: CAS Stakeholder Analysis •
K-12 School District: Many CAS organizations perceive the district’s size and bureaucracy as an impediment to partnership that results in fragmented CAS efforts.
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School & Community-Based Programs: Few CAS programs operate in Miami, leaving a gap that other youth-serving organizations attempt to fill; demand for CAS services exceeds available resources.
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Business Community: The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is advancing CAS as an economic development issue and lobbying for policy changes.
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Funders: Funders operate independently and fund disjointed pieces of the CAS system.
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Parents, Families & Mentors: It has been challenging to engage low-income, immigrant parents; however, successful parent engagement models exist that could be expanded.
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Higher Education: Miami Dade College and Florida International University are the primary institutions of higher education promoting CAS for Miami public school students, yet there are many other potential players in the region that could be more involved.
Miami: Opportunities 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 Foundation and College Summit) have recently commenced work in Miami. Existing organizations and foundations should lead the charge to coordinate efforts.
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The city could pilot a holistic set of CAS supports beginning with a set of schools spanning the K-12 pipeline that cater to the same group of students; by starting with one “feeder pattern”, the city could accurately measure the impact of CAS supports and scale successful programs more efficiently.
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A lead organization should coordinate and promote CAS initiatives across the multiple CAS actors operating in the city. Model cities exhibit this form of leadership.
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Large foundations can institutionalize partnerships and initiatives through aligning resources, providing technical assistance, building a lead organization, creating a larger base of support for CAS, and developing integrated data systems to track student outcomes.