The Experts Weigh in: High‐Achieving, Low‐Income Students Reflect on Their Experience in and the Impact of a College Access Program

Abstract

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Positioning for College Success: The Evaluation of the Princeton University Preparatory Program's Work With High‐Achieving, Low‐Income Students

“…In addition, 12 alumni participated in a focus group held in conjunction with a PUPP social event. Although the survey sample and focus group participants may not be representative of the entire PUPP alumni population, respondent alumni's self‐reported answers provide insights into the PUPP experience during high school and in the post‐PUPP period (see Millett & Kevelson, ). See the Alumni Survey and focus group report by Millett, Saunders, and Kevelson () for a detailed account of the methodology and findings for each survey, including response rates.…”

“…The PUPP experience allows faculty to work closely with students and really personalize teaching to meet their individual needs.” For example, mathematics class ratios are one teacher for every eight students, facilitating the provision of highly individualized support for students. On the Scholar Survey, a majority of scholars agreed or strongly agreed that PUPP teachers are able to help them more than their regular school teachers during class (59%) and outside of class (51%; Millett & Kevelson, ).…”

“…They also describe scholar and alumni experiences in PUPP activities as well as their perceptions of the program's impacts on themselves and, among current PUPP scholars, on their families. Note that the PUPP Scholar Survey report (Millett & Kevelson, ) and Alumni Survey report (Millett et al, ) provide detailed accounts of the findings from all items on each survey, along with graphs and charts depicting major findings.…”

“…Another described organizing small groups of students in which PUPP scholars share their knowledge with others. Perhaps even more notably, all PUPP seniors indicated on the Scholar Survey that they share their knowledge of the college application process with students who are not in PUPP, and the vast majority (91%) agreed that they have used knowledge gained from PUPP to advise peers on the college financial aid process (Millett & Kevelson, ).…”

Social Context Matters: Bridging Philosophy and Sociology to Strengthen Conceptual Foundations for College Access Research

“…ASPIRE is one of many access and outreach programs providing academic and social opportunities in the hopes of supporting student learning and persistence, reducing achievement and opportunity gaps, and improving educational attainment and student mobility (National Association of College Admission Counseling, 2018). Educational access and outreach programs generally exist to improve opportunities for students whose opportunities have been limited by social contextual factors such as underfunded and low-quality schools, though specific goals differ by program (Auerbach, 2004; Bowman, Kim, Ingleby, Ford, & Sibaouih, 2018; Granger, Durlak, Yohalem, & Reisner, 2007; Millett, Rojas, & Kevelson, 2018a, 2018b; Ng, Wolf-Wendel, & Lombardi, 2014; Stanton-Salazar, 1997, 2001). Research on outreach and college access programs has tended to describe factors such as participant characteristics, what services programs provide, and effects on academic achievement (Gándara & Bial, 2001; Granger, 2008; Millett, Rojas, & Kevelson, 2018a; Perna, 2002; Swail, 2000; Tierney, Corwin, & Colyar, 2005).…”