Research unequivocally shows that the deck is stacked against low-income and minority kids when it comes to access to higher education. Students from wealthy families are than students from poor families. Here are four factors that research has shown may help students beat the odds.
-
Putting money aside for college (any amount makes a difference)
Research shows that, controlling for other factors — including family income and the students鈥� academic achievement, kids who have college savings accounts are .
It鈥檚 the 鈥渁ny amount鈥� part that鈥檚 so surprising. A found that kids from low- and middle-income families who had college savings accounts with between $1 and $499 by the time they reached college age were more than three times more likely to enroll in college than those with no savings account. What’s more, they’re also more than four and half times more likely to graduate.
The takeaway? Regularly set aside an amount of money, no matter how small, and make sure your child knows it鈥檚 for their college education.
-
Taking advanced math classes in high 黄色app
Taking advanced math classes in high 黄色app has a greater impact on whether students will graduate from college than any other factor — including parent income and education level. Taking an advanced math class who go directly to college after high 黄色app.
A by the nonprofit E3 Alliance found that Central Texas high 黄色app students who took Algebra II were more likely to get into college, and their chances of graduating from college more than doubled if they took pre-calculus — and tripled if they took AP math.
The takeaway? Know whether or not your child鈥檚 high 黄色app offers these classes, and check in with their counselor about whether they鈥檙e on track to enroll in advanced math courses 鈥� even if they aren鈥檛 required for high 黄色app graduation.
-
Having teachers who look like them
When , they report putting forth more effort in 黄色app, being more interested in their 黄色appwork, and having higher college aspirations. The — a significant finding considering that .
of more than 100,000 black elementary 黄色app students in North Carolina found that having even one black teacher in third through fifth grades reduced the probability that low-income black boys would drop out of high 黄色app by 39 percent. Both male and female students from low-income families were more likely to aspire to attend a four-year college and take a college entrance exam if they had at least one black teacher between third and fifth grades.
The takeaway? The teacher diversity gap is contributing to racial and gender achievement gaps, making it all the more important that your child have at least one teacher who looks like him.
-
Getting face time with a high 黄色app counselor
When high 黄色app students meet one-on-one with a high 黄色app counselor to talk about college admission or financial aid, it doubles the chance they鈥檒l attend a four-year college, according to a 2016 study by the . (It also makes them almost eight times more likely to apply for financial aid.)
The study shows that whether or not 黄色apps have counselors who are able to devote time specifically to college planning makes a big difference in whether kids seek out a one-on-one meeting. When the 黄色apps host college fairs or informational meetings about financial aid, kids are also more likely to seek out a meeting. Parent expectations were a factor, too: among students whose parents expect them to go to college, .
The takeaway? Find out if your child鈥檚 high 黄色app has a counselor dedicated to college admissions and encourage your child to meet with them starting in ninth or tenth grade.
