Study Suggests Urban Schools Need Strategic Plan To Help Minority Students Prepare For College, Future

Note: Complete study findings are available as an ACT Policy Report titled Creating Seamless Educational Transitions for Urban African American and Hispanic Students.

June 26, 2002

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Urban college-bound minority high school students have high educational ambitions, but many lack the college-planning information they need to make informed choices on how to realize these ambitions, according to a new study conducted by ACT, Inc.

The study suggests these students need consistent, structured help in planning for their futures—how to prepare for college, what college to select, and how and where to apply for financial aid—pointing to a need for school districts to set up proactive plans as early as in middle school to accomplish these goals.

The study, conducted by ACT with cooperation from the Council of the Great City Schools, focused on nearly 300 African-American and Hispanic seniors in the class of 2001 from 23 large urban high schools in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, and New Orleans who had taken the ACT Assessment, the company's college entrance and placement exam. Students were asked to complete a survey and participate in focus group interviews.

Nearly three-fourths of the urban African-American and Hispanic students in the study, most of whom had already been accepted to college, plan on postgraduate-level study, and around half hope to attain a professional degree. These students received college planning information from a variety of sources, including their parents (particularly their mothers), teachers, counselors, and peers.

Many, however, had not received all of the information they needed. Some were unfamiliar with the postsecondary opportunities available to them, while others did not know the differences between two-year and four-year colleges, had haphazardly chosen a college, or planned to attend a college they had never visited and/or knew very little about. Many also were ill-informed about financial aid opportunities. While parents were credited with encouraging and motivating students to attend college, they were not always aware of the many steps involved in postsecondary planning, as the majority did not attend college themselves.

"These students are ambitious and highly motivated," said Richard J. Noeth, ACT's director of policy research and a co-author of the study, "but many simply didn't receive the help they needed, when they needed it, to adequately prepare for college."

Study Recommendations

To remedy these problems, the authors of the study recommend that school districts implement an Educational Transitions Strategic Plan, a strategic plan that focuses on college exploration and postsecondary planning, beginning in middle school and continuing on through high school. Other recommendations in the report include:

Schools should better explain the postsecondary planning process to parents through a structured, long-term program.
Counselors, teachers, and other school personnel should work to establish both formal and informal relationships with their students to help them throughout the planning process.
Schools should employ a variety of assessment approaches early on, including standardized test information, to help students plan their high school classes, identify areas for improvement, consider career options, and plan for post-high school education.
Schools should continually reinforce with students and parents that financial aid is available to help pay for college.

Role of Counselors

According to the report, the high school counselor's role is imperative in students' college planning. Many counselors, however, are often not involved in college planning until students' senior year of school, and by then it is too late to make adjustments in classes and extra-curricular activities.

At the same time, the report suggests, the fault cannot be laid upon counselors, who face diminishing resources and increased responsibilities.

"The role of the counselor has shifted in recent years, particularly in urban districts, from offering career and educational guidance to handling social problems," said Michael D. Casserly, executive director of The Council of Great City Schools. "This leaves much less time for counselors to devote to the critical job of college planning."

Coupled with this shift in focus, the report states, is the fact that schools have been reducing their counseling staffs in recent years, adding to the workload of the remaining counselors and allowing them less time to devote to each student.

Financial Aid: Missed Opportunities

The study indicates college costs and financial aid availability are major issues for urban college-bound African-American and Hispanic students. Many said their families cannot contribute much to college expenses, and many said they perceive college as unaffordable, although they still plan to attend.

Students were often reluctant to apply for student loans, not understanding the concept of borrowing money to pay for college as an investment in their future. They often chose to attend a community college or a four-year commuter college to keep costs down. In addition, the study suggests these students repeatedly missed out on educational opportunities and financial support because they did not apply or register on time, further suggesting a need for structured planning assistance.

Current College Planning

The students in the study found a number of things helpful in making their college plans, including information and advice from parents, teachers, and counselors; the high school classes they took and the grades they received; and the information they received from the ACT Assessment. Most had access to computers and used the Internet as part of their planning process, and nearly half used college planning software programs.

Looking back on their experiences, these seniors urged younger students to start preparing for college earlier than they had. Many had low grades during their freshman and sophomore years and, as a result, took less rigorous courses later or repeated some courses.

"Students who fail to take rigorous, college preparatory coursework are hurting their chances of getting into their college of choice and succeeding once they get there," said Noeth. "Taking college prep classes can serve as a stimulus for students in their college awareness, college planning, and career exploration activities. Only by starting early with these students in a structured, strategic plan can schools have the maximum impact on urban minority students' readiness to achieve their goals."