Invited Commentary: Federal Efforts to Help Low-Income Students Pay for College

The U.S. economy requires a highly educated workforce, yet too few black, Latino, and low-income students attend, persist, and graduate from college. The present study examines the college outcomes of participants in a model Advanced Placement® (AP) intervention to shed light on its effectiveness and determine whether improving AP participation and performance is a promising strategy for closing persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in college outcomes. Findings suggest the college outcomes of program participants are better than those of similar students statewide while also highlighting variation within and across subgroups. At the same time, they confirm that AP participation and performance predict college outcomes and suggest that improving AP participation and performance among low-income white, black, and Latino students could be a useful strategy for closing persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in college outcomes.

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Pricing Out the Disadvantaged? The Effect of Tuition Deregulation in Texas Public Four-Year Institutions

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science ◽

10.1177/0002716214539096 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 655 (1) ◽

pp. 99-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Stella M. Flores ◽

Justin C. Shepherd

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

College Enrollment ◽

Hispanic Students ◽

State Legislature ◽

Pell Grant ◽

State Governments ◽

Low Income Students ◽

Difference In Differences ◽

Four Year Institutions ◽

Tuition Deregulation

This article examines whether tuition deregulation in Texas (in 2003 the state legislature gave tuition-setting authority to institutional governing boards) has affected the college enrollment of underrepresented and low-income students. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we find that Hispanic students have been most negatively affected by tuition deregulation. Results for black students are largely mixed, in that we find an increase in college enrollment after deregulation in some specifications, while Pell Grant recipients, incoming and returning, appear to have experienced an increase in college enrollment following deregulation. Implications and recommendations for state governments considering this contentious legislation are provided.

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Design and Development of an Instrument on Knowledge of Food Safety, Practices, and Risk Perception Addressed to Children and Adolescents from Low-Income Families

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042324 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2324

Author(s):

Sueny Andrade Batista ◽

Elke Stedefeldt ◽

Eduardo Yoshio Nakano ◽

Mariana de Oliveira Cortes ◽

Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Safety ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Low Income ◽

Raw Materials ◽

World Health ◽

Low Income Students ◽

Level Of Knowledge ◽

Low Income Families ◽

Health Organization ◽

Rules Set

In the fight against foodborne diseases, expanding access to information for different groups is needed. In this aspect, it is crucial to evaluate the target audience’s particularities. This study constructed and validated an instrument containing three questionnaires to identify the level of knowledge, practices, and risk perception of food safety by low-income students between 11 and 14 years old. The following steps were used: systematic search of the databases; conducting and analyzing focus groups; questionnaires development; and questionnaires analysis. After two judges’ rounds, the final version was reached with 11 knowledge items, 11 practice items, and five risk perception items. The content validation index values were higher than 0.80. The adopted methodology considered the students’ understanding and perceptions, as well the appropriate language to be used. Besides, it allowed the development of questionnaires that directly and straightforwardly covers the rules set by the World Health Organization for foodborne disease control called Five Keys to Safer Food (keep clean; separate raw and cooked; cook thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; and use safe water and raw materials). Its use can result in a diagnosis for elaborating educational proposals and other actions against foodborne illness in the most vulnerable population.

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¡Sí se Puede en Colaboración! Increasing College Placement Rates of Low-income Students

Teachers College Record ◽

10.1177/016146811111300701 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 113 (7) ◽

pp. 1435-1476

Author(s):

Matthew Militello ◽

Jason Schweid ◽

John Carey

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High Schools ◽

College Readiness ◽

Low Income ◽

The United States ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Low Income Students ◽

College Board ◽

Post Secondary ◽

College Application

Background/Context Today we have moved from the debate of student opportunity to post-secondary educational setting to 100% access. That is, today's high school settings have been charged with preparing “college ready” graduates. Educational policy has leveraged mandates and sanctions as a mechanism to improve college placement rates, especially in high schools with a high percentage of low-income students. However, little empirical evidence exists to assist us in understanding how college readiness is actualized for low-income students. Focus of Study The purpose of this study was to identify specific strategies that schools employ to raise college application and attendance rates for low-income students. Research Design This study investigated 18 College Board Inspiration Award winning or honorable mention high schools across the United States. Phone interviews with all 18 schools informed the selection of five case study high schools. Data collection included interviews and observations with high school educators, parents, students, and other community members. Findings In this study, we describe evidence within and across the five case schools using a framework that was generated from the first phase of this study. These schools effectively improved college readiness by developing collaborative practices around: (1) Program Management, (2) External Partnerships, (3) Leadership, (4) College-focused Intervention Strategies, (5) Achievement-oriented School Culture, (6) Parental Outreach, (7) Systemic, Multileveled Intervention Strategies, (8) Use of Data, (9) Development and Implementation of Inclusive School Policies, and (10) Routinizing or Offloading Routine or Mundane Tasks. Conclusions/Implications This study operationalizes what effective practices look like in high schools with low-income students. The findings move beyond normative models to be implemented across sites to illustrations of exemplar practices that can guide collaborative efforts to enact the specific tasks necessary to improve college readiness for students.

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