low income students at community colleges jamie petersen cheryl warmann ilasfaa 2008 –...
TRANSCRIPT
Low Income Students at Community Colleges
Jamie PetersenCheryl Warmann
ILASFAA 2008 – Springfield, IL
Cultural and Social Captial Cultural capital—a student’s class primarily
based on a family’s language, culture, attitudes, beliefs, and values
Social capital—revolves around social networking, connections, and an individual’s participation in relationships and membership in social structures or networks
Perna and Titus, 2005
Case StudyFrank
17Peoria High School3.5/4.0 gpaFamily of 3, lives with
mother & stepfatherFamily income $50,000Parent’s college savings
$5,000WhiteStepfather attended some
collegeTalented basketball player
Sweta
19Palatine HS2.7/4.0 gpaFamily of 7—two older
siblings live in IndiaFamily immigrated 5 years
agoFamily income $20,000Parent’s college savings $0Southeast Asian
Income affects Enrollment
84% of students enroll in any college or university from high-income families
54% of students enroll in any college or university from low-income families
Perceptions Three primary barriers to enrollment
lack of financial aid lack of information about available aid and lack of college preparedness
Awareness Decision making based on perceptions
of available financial aid
Change language from ‘apply to find out’ to ‘apply to receive’ as much as possible
Tell stories of students helped in brochures; provide someone that they can identify as someone like themselves
Bring current students to share stories at events
Awareness A high school’s culture of preparation
makes a difference in students’ access to information
Use FAFSA4caster with earlier grades Minority students more likely to rely on high
school counselors and high school faculty for information
Relationships building with high schools and perhaps lower grades is necessary
Awareness Students need accurate and timely
information about college and financial aid
Study of 250 students, 50 observations, 8,000 person study helps build case for appropriate staffing. (De La Rosa & Tierney, n.d)
Departmental relationship building so all offices can provide some level of FA support
Students want information as early as 9th grade
Awareness Group seminars can be helpful in concert
with follow-up sessions; seminars cannot replace one to one advising & counseling
Affordability and deadline dates presented a challenge too large to overcome
Shame attached to large group discussions FA Presenters need others present after
program is complete
Awareness Even after applying, many students
require individualized and sustained support throughout the process
Follow up telephone calls to new students Reminders to reapply Intrusive advising
Awareness Parents require information and
knowledge about college and financial aid
Parent’s brochure Parent’s section of website Parent’s orientation Host events in the community such as
churches or community centers
Persistence Research challenges
Funding and program rules change frequently so data is not considered stable and creates a challenge to make sense out of research results
Lack of part-time adult student information Understanding the data source and who is
included (or not included)
Persistence
Attending a CC reduces students chances of earning a BA by 15% to 20%
Approximately 1/3 of all CC students earn a degree or certificate within 8 years
Numbers Lowest tuition in the west at $2,361 Highest tuition in the middle states at
$3,594
Average COA for FT $10,500 Average grant for FT $2,040 Average gap for FT $8,460
Work Nearly 80% of CC students work
53% of CC students under age 25 work
Working more than 20 hours per week negatively affects persistence
Persistence FA recipients were able to persist as well as
those students who did not receive FA
FA is a positive student characteristic related to continued enrollment and graduation
Grant only packages were 1.81 times more likely to persist than students who did not receive assistance (Clark, 2003)
Other factors contribute to success thus one cannot conclude a grant is the driving force behind success
Persistence Merit based FA helps attract students
who are likely to persist-even among very low-income CC students
Research concluded mixed effects result when student loan in package
Loans borrowed in the first year had a negative effect on persistence to the second year and did not support degree completion (Dowd and Coury, 2006)
Institutional Characteristics CCs that have a large percentage of
federal Pell grant recipients was a negative institutional characteristic related to continued enrollment and graduation
Raising scholarship dollars is positively associated with persistence
Institutional Characteristics Direct support for minority students; Strongly coupled services with other
student service offices;
Data driven information for changing any practices or policy;
And continued assessment for program improvement are positively associated with persistence
Cognitive Skills Lower level reasoning and critical
thinking affects how students make enrollment decisions
Increase understanding of all college processes such as advising and orientation
Issue reminders to register for classes Provide information about purchase of
textbooks Define student role and responsibilities
Gaps in the Research Very four-year focused; need more
studies involving community college students
No significant study on College Goal Sunday
Achieving the Dream research is helping to fill some gaps
