Mary E. M. McKillip’s research while affiliated with York College of PA and other places

The authors sought to better understand the relationship between students participating in the Advanced Placement (AP) program and subsequent performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Focusing on students graduating from U.S. public high schools in 2010, the authors used propensity scores to match junior year AP examinees in 3 subjects to similar students who did not take any AP exams in high school. Multilevel regression models with these matched samples demonstrate a mostly positive relationship between AP exam participation and senior year SAT performance, particularly for students who score a 3 or higher. Students who enter into the AP year with relatively lower initial achievement are predicted to perform slightly better on later SAT tests than students with similar initial achievement who do not participate in AP.

Students who struggle in pursuit of postsecondary education tend to be Latino, Black, low-income, or first-generation college students. This article presents the case of a small public school serving students grades 6-12 from these traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in a large urban school district. Observations revealed that the school works to accomplish its primary mission of preparing students for college by merging academics with the socioemotional development of students. The relationships between and among students and staff in the school are the foundation upon which the school’s college-going culture is built. The study concludes with recommendations for ways to build a college-going culture in similar schools.

High school counselors potentially hold a key position to help increase the number of U.S. students receiving post-secondary degrees, particularly to address inequalities that prevent certain students from successfully transitioning to college. Using the model of student success (Perna & Thomas, 2008), this study reviewed the literature to understand how various contexts (social, school, family, student) shape high school counselor interactions with students as they work to improve post-secondary outcomes of college access and enrollment.

The first in a series of studies, this paper describes the effect of a large, urban district implementing a PSAT/NMSQT (PN) fee waiver initiative in the 2006-07 school year in an effort to increase students’ access to feedback on their readiness for college. The results suggest that the fee waiver increased access for underrepresented and lower skill students. However, this information did not appear to translate into increased SAT participation which would be a logical next step in the college application process. Additional outreach seems needed to push students to that next level.