A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

I. Key Facts

• Enrollment in colleges, universities, and technical schools has increased. Total annual fall enrollment in colleges, universities, and technical schools increased 17 percent in the last decade, from 12.4 million to 14.5-million students. Indeed, the proportion of people aged 25 and over who have completed four or more years of college increased from 18 percent in 1982 to 22 percent in 1993.

• Many Americans actively participate in education programs beyond high school. In 1991, nearly 24 percent of Americans aged 25 to 64 had completed college compared to about 17 percent of Canadians and 13 percent of Japanese. Every year, students from other countries attend American colleges and universities.

• Postsecondary graduation improves Americans' quality of life. Workers with bachelor's degrees earn on average almost $14,000 more a year than workers with high school diplomas. Workers with associate degrees earn almost twice as much annually as workers who did not finish high school.

Areas that Need Attention. Not every student who wants to attend college can. But with adequate preparation--academic and financial--more students can have the opportunity to attend community colleges or four-year colleges.

• Some students do not understand the value of postsecondary education. At least two-thirds of adolescents regularly report problems in choosing and preparing for careers. Students often say that they do not understand the connection between what they learn in high school and the knowledge that they will need after they graduate to get a good job or go on to college or technical school. As a result, many do not take challenging courses that will prepare them for college-level work.

• Families do not actively plan for their children's postsecondary education. Many students and their families do not plan financially for college. In addition, many parents do not ask middle and high schools that do not offer college prep and tech prep classes to make these classes available.

II. Ten Activities That Can Make College More Accessible

1. Families and community members: Find out whether the high schools in your district offer challenging classes that are recommended for college-bound students and tech prep programs. These include courses such as algebra I and II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, foreign languages, advanced technology, computers, the arts, music, literature and composition, and advanced placement classes. If the schools do not offer challenging courses in all core subject areas, contact the school board and ask for such courses. Encourage your children to take the courses that are recommended for college-bound students and for career fields that require one or two years of postsecondary education.

2. Colleges: Inform middle- and high-school students, teachers, and parents which courses are needed to get into college and which are needed for the various college majors. Help parents and grandparents learn about financial aid and show them how they can save for college. Build partnerships with local K-12 schools to improve academic preparation for college.

3. Schools: Offer college-prep, technical classes, and challenging coursework to all students. Be sure all students and their families know about these courses in time to plan their academic program, and build local partnerships with colleges, community colleges, universities, and businesses.

4. Community members, religious groups, and businesses: Call the schools in your area to volunteer as a mentor or tutor. Mentors can help students learn about many different kinds of careers and college programs.

5. Businesses: Help students learn more about the kinds of careers that exist and the educational preparation that those careers require. Volunteer to visit a school and talk to students about the education and training that you received in order to get your job. Discuss the connection between the skills and knowledge you gained in high school and college, and the skills and knowledge that you use each day at work. Sponsor shadowing programs, internships, and apprenticeships for middle school, high school, and college students so they can learn about careers first hand.

6. Community members, colleges, and religious groups: Take a group of students and their families to visit local colleges. Many students have never been exposed to the academic side of a college campus and aren't familiar with college programs. You can arrange to have the admissions office talk to students about the courses they'll need to enroll, what scholarships and financial aid are available, and the many exciting and rewarding careers that college graduates can pursue.

7. Colleges, community members, and businesses: Help high school guidance counselors to conduct college fairs not just once a year but periodically throughout the year. You can help by contacting several colleges, making arrangements for college representatives to attend, publicizing the event, and setting up college visits.

8. Colleges, community members, religious groups, and businesses: Volunteer to help local high school students learn about different college programs, the college application process, and financial aid forms. Counselors in many high schools do not have the time to provide one-on-one college counseling and guidance to each student.

9. Businesses: If you have expertise in financial planning and are familiar with the ways that families can save money for college, volunteer to talk to students and parents at an elementary school or middle school in your area about various savings strategies.

10. Community members and businesses: Provide opportunities for AmeriCorps and college work-study students to work in the community and earn money for college. Volunteer to help high school students research sources of financial aid. Go with them to the library to help them find reference books and guides to scholarships. Also make sure that they explore all available institutional, state, and federal financial aid.

III. Where To Go for More Help

PUBLICATIONS

Preparing Your Child for College: A Resource Book for Parents, Second Edition, U.S. Department of Education. For a free copy, write: Consumer Information Center, Department 510B, Pueblo, CO 81009.

The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education. Call 1-800-4FED-AID to order a free copy.

Careers for the '90s: Everything You Need To Know to Find the Right Career. Research and Education Association, 1992.

The College Board Guide to Jobs and Career Planning by Joyce Slayton Mitchell. The College Board, 1994.

The College Handbook, 1996. The College Board, 1995.

Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges, 1996, Twenty-Sixth Edition. Peterson's Guides, Inc., 1995. Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges, Eleventh Edition. Rugg's Recommendations, 1994.

Barron's How To Prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Eighteenth Edition, by Samuel C. Brownstein, Mitchell Weiner, and Sharon Weiner Green. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1994.

College Financial Aid, Fifth Edition. College Research Group of Concord, Mass., and John Schwartz. Arco Publishing, a Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1993.

The Scholarship Book, Fourth Edition, by Daniel J. Cassidy and Michael J. Alves. Prentice Hall, Inc., 1993.

Best Buys in College Education, Third Edition, by Lucia Solorzano, Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1994.

Cracking the SAT and PSAT, 1996 Edition, by Adam Robinson and John Katzman. The Princeton Review, Random House, Inc., 1995.

OTHER RESOURCES

The U.S. Department of Education has a free computer software package designed to provide information to middle and high school students about postsecondary opportunities. AWARE software can be obtained by writing or calling:

Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, DC 20044-0084
Call toll-free: 1-800-4FED-AID

EXCELL

This Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute data base provides scholarship information. Call 1-800-392-3532.

Videos available for two-week loans by calling 1-800-USA-Learn:

The U.S. Department of Education has available tapes of the Goals 2000 Satellite Town Meetings and other products that are available free of charge through a lending library. VHS videotapes are available on loan for a two- week period. The Goals 2000 Satellite Town Meeting is not copyrighted and viewers are encouraged to make copies and distribute them in their communities. If you plan to broadcast the Satellite Town Meeting and need a broadcast-quality 3/4" videotape, call 1-800-USA-LEARN. These videos include:

Satellite Town Meeting #1
March 9, 1993
"Involving Colleges, Universities & Community Colleges"

ORGANIZATIONS

For information on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Achievement Tests, write or call:

The College Board SAT Program
P.O. Box 6200
Princeton, NJ 08541-6200
609-771-7600

For information on the ACT, write or call:

ACT Registration
P.O. Box 414
Iowa City, IA 52243
319-337-1270

For information on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), write or call:

PSAT/NMSQT
P.O. Box 6200
Princeton, NJ 08541-6200
609-771-7070

For information about the AmeriCorps program, call 1-800-94ACORPS.

The U.S. Department of Education can offer financial assistance and other guidance to families who are planning to send their children to college. Turn to Need Financial Assistance? Your Schools May Qualify For Funding for information.
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