College Going Culture in Urban High Schools
This project at the University of North Texas explores perceptions of the culture to support college going in six urban high schools, in three school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, that primarily serve students from groups underrepresented in higher education and whose parents did not graduate from college. Using six case studies as data, this research studies the successes and challenges college students face when completing case studies of urban high schools, whether there are differences in the various cultures for college going, and whether patterns are evident in the recommendations made to the high schools by the research teams.
Education and Work After High School: A First Look at the Class of 2007
These publications incorporate research conducted by the University of Texas at Austin's Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources as part of "The Student Futures Project." The project is a partnership of the Ray Marshall Center, Skillpoint Alliance, and a growing number of Central Texas independent school districts (ISDs). The project documents and analyzes the progress of Central Texas high school students as they move through college and into their careers. These resulting publications combine student surveys and linked administrative records to improve feedback and policy and program alignment for Central Texas ISDs, to prepare students for the demands of adulthood and for success in the workplace.
Straight From the Source: What Works for First-Generation College Students
Produced by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, this report presents findings from focus groups of first-generation students in Texas. This publication shares students' specific practices that effectively eased the transition from college to high school, discusses less effective actions, and considers practices that might get more first-generation students into college.
Student Aversion to Borrowing: Who Borrows and Who Doesn’t
The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and Excelencia in Education highlight the borrowing patterns of college students and provide suggestions about why certain students may not use student loans, even when borrowing seems a logical choice. This study uses demographic and enrollment characteristics of undergraduate students, as well as data from interviews with students and financial aid administrators, to gain understanding of students' use of loans as a means to finance higher education.
Studies on Barriers to Higher Education in Texas
Texas A&M University conducted original phone surveys to investigate, identify, measure, and predict the barriers to higher education for adult residents in Texas. Statewide interviews of Texas residents 25 years of age and older were used to collect the data with an over-sampling of racial and ethnic minority adults.