Black and Latino Adolescents’ Self-Regulation: Placing College Preparedness in Context

Students from minoritized backgrounds, who disproportionately face higher poverty rates, are more likely to encounter risk factors, which tend to undermine individuals’ broader well-being by compromising self-regulatory processes. Yet, sociocultural theory highlights the presence of minoritized families’ cultural wealth. Consistent with a focus on assets, it is notable that college enrollment rates have increased among Black and Latino students in the U.S. Using a mixed methods approach, the current study integrated asset and risk frameworks, in order to advance knowledge on the context of minoritized teens’ college preparedness, defined here as making decisions and taking action steps toward college. Participants included low-income, predominantly Black and Latino families with adolescents ( n = 344). First, drawing from the voices of families, we examined responses to open-ended questions about aspirations, supports, and challenges. Salient themes included social-emotional and social-cultural factors. Indicators of cumulative contextual risk and cumulative individual risk were based on the qualitative data. Second, we tested whether the linkage from cumulative risk indices to teens’ college preparedness occurred via various dimensions of self-regulation (i.e., lower impulsivity, more cognitive control, and better organization skills), net of background characteristics. Adolescents’ organization skills were a significant mediator. Possible next steps for research are discussed.

Achieving College Readiness through a Dual Enrollment Course

To increase equitable postsecondary access and success outcomes it is critical to address the college preparedness gap. While Florida International University (FIU) continues to improve retention and graduation gaps for currently enrolled students, it became evident that the university could play a larger role in preparing high school students for college and university. In 2017, FIU developed a dual enrollment version of a currently offered course, SLS1510: Strategies for Success, to address this gap. The purpose of this article is to describe the context in which this decision occurred, the philosophy used to drive development of the course, and the steps taken to pilot the course. This article highlights the successes of the course, including enrollment of over 2,000 students over 4 semesters, along with areas of improvement for future iterations. The findings of the pilot can help to inform colleges and universities who are interested in addressing college preparedness in the k-12 pipeline.

Subsidizing Test Prep

Subsidizing Test Prep is a policy proposal that addresses racial and income disparities in collegegoing and college success. Standardized tests are intended to measure college preparedness but have instead become measures of income, as students who can afford higher-quality test prep tend to receive higher scores. In effect, low-income students have comparatively lower standardized test scores and subsequently face lower rates of college-going and college-success. A national subsidy of standardized test prep will try to: 1) mitigate racial and income disparities in college-going and college success, 2) equalize opportunity for lowincome students in college admissions, and 3) help make standardized tests an indicator of achievement rather than income. I argue that the policy is politically feasible and project that it will cost approximately $360 million annually. The subsidy has the potential to be more efficient, in its effect and cost, than similar policies and programs.