LearnmoreMN Blog

Preparing for and entering postsecondary education

By Lesley Lydell, January guest blogger

As in many other states, Minnesota postsecondary education faces an array of challenges, from decreased funding and rising costs to rapidly expanding worlds of knowledge transmission, the changing demands of the “knowledge economy,” and an uncertain employment world for graduates. Within these challenges, one central concern we focus on in my office is whether students participate in postsecondary education and what helps them succeed, both during their education and beyond. Although students increasingly enter postsecondary education at various times throughout their lives, the transition of recent high school graduates into postsecondary education offers one lens on how educational systems can collaborate to serve students.

In the revised edition of Minnesota Measures: 2011 Report on Higher Education Performance, data on students’ preparation for and entrance into postsecondary education illustrate positive trends but also point to ongoing challenges.

Growing Participation

Postsecondary Preparation: Minnesota high school students overall have strong participation and achievement in challenging academic courses and assessments. Minnesota students received the highest scores in the nation on a standardized college entrance exam, and increasing numbers of students are participating in college-level courses through Advanced Placement courses, Postsecondary Enrollment Options, and other programs. The number of students participating in Postsecondary Enrollment Options programs has more than doubled since 2000, and the number of students taking Advanced Placement exams rose 8% between 2009-10 and 2010-11.

High School to Postsecondary Transition: Compared to the national average, Minnesota high school students have a high four-year graduation rate at 76% for 2010. Minnesota also has a higher-than-average percentage of high school graduates who go on to enroll in a postsecondary institution within a year of their graduation.

Unlike in states with a high percentage of high school graduates who enroll in a postsecondary institution but also a higher rate of students who drop out of high school before graduation, a larger proportion of Minnesotans stay in high school, graduate, and enter directly into higher education. For all Minnesota high school graduates, the number going on to college has increased by 15% between 1996 and 2010 to 71% of recent graduates enrolling in college. There have also been sizeable increases in the numbers of recent Minnesota high school graduates of color enrolled at a Minnesota postsecondary institution, with a 49% increase in enrollment between 2004 and 2010.

Achievement Differences

• Although all groups of students had higher graduation rates in 2010 over the previous year, with a 1% increase in high school graduation rates for white students and a three percent increase for students of color, the four-year graduation rate for students of color was 30 percentage points lower than the rate for white students.
• State-level proficiency exam scores in 2011 for 10th and 11th grade students indicated achievement differences for students from low-income backgrounds and some students of color, with approximately three-quarters of students from low-income backgrounds and American Indian, Hispanic, and African-American students not fully meeting grade-level standards in math.
• College readiness benchmarks on the ACT college entrance exam indicated just over one-third of Minnesota’s ACT test-takers for 2010-11 scored as academically prepared to succeed in higher education. Although there has been some improvement in ACT benchmark scores since 2007, Minnesota students of color overall scored as less prepared than the state average.
• The percentage of Advanced Placement exams that received scores eligible for college credit (scores 3-5) increased at a higher rate between 2010 and 2011 for Minnesota test-takers of color than the state and national average increases, with the largest increase in higher-scoring exams taken by Hispanic test-takers. Overall, however, the percentage of exams taken by American Indian, African-American/Black, and Hispanic test-takers receiving a score eligible for college credit was below the state average of 65% of all exams taken.

Although there are positive trends in improving preparation for and participation in postsecondary education for all students, there are areas for added focus and collaboration as we work to better serve students and smooth the transitions between high school, postsecondary, and the workforce.

What are the most promising strategies you’re aware of in improving students’ postsecondary preparation and participation — locally, nationally, internationally?

IB equips students for changing world

By Jon Eversoll, February guest blogger

So who else says the IB has strong programs? Consider Newsweek magazine’s list of “America’s Best High Schools.” In 2009, 36 of the top 100 were IB schools. The list’s author, Jay Matthews, additionally cites U.S. Department of Education studies suggesting the best way to prepare students for college is with rigorous courses.

But rigor in the IB doesn’t simply mean more pages to read and problem sets to solve. In challenging students with real-world issues and concepts, the IB develops inquiring learners who seek to understand the perspectives of others. Students do volunteer work at every level. They are instilled with attitudes and attributes — balanced, caring, communicator, knowledgeable, principled, to name a few — that will serve them well throughout their years. In fact, these are some of the traits New York Times columnist David Brooks held up in his article “Amy Chua Is a Wimp” as more cognitively demanding than memorization or an unwavering focus on a task.

Acquiring these skills starts early. In the IB Primary Years Program (preK-5), students explore six transdisciplinary themes — such as who they are and how the world works — which invite students to look beyond themselves. For example, while researching their local Minneapolis community, students may investigate other river cities in the world, asking how and why they are similar and different.

Making meaningful connections to the world continues in the Middle Years Program (grades 6-10). Here students may look at how mathematical functions are used every day or, while studying metals in chemistry, reflect on how we best use our resources. In history students might ask, “why do societies change?” Recent events in the Middle East underscore the importance of such questions.

The culmination of the IB is the Diploma Program (grades 11-12). Students doing the full diploma take six classes covering many subjects, including another language. Most courses are two years long and subjects train students to be practitioners of the discipline. Art as an artist. Biology as a biologist. All include externally assessed oral and written exams. Strong scores can earn college credit.

And the IB is for all students. A study at the University of California  suggests that IB students, in particular those from low- to moderate-income families, have higher GPAs and graduation rates than comparable non-IB students.

Our children will succeed by being flexible thinkers and well-rounded citizens. Indeed, Minnesota’s IB schools equip their students with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to live in this changing world. Whether it’s through the IB or other programs, this is exactly the kind of preparation our students need.

IB strengths: a teacher’s perspective

By Jon Eversoll, February guest blogger

We hear too often that our students aren’t prepared for college. One program that delivers the rigorous, student-centered education Minnesota’s students need is the International Baccalaureate — or the IB as it’s known. Malaysia was my introduction to IB and I’ve been a convert ever since.

At the International School of Kuala Lumpur, I taught juniors in the IB’s Diploma Program. These students were embarking on a two-year journey in literature featuring a battery of assessments and culminating in a pair of two-hour exams in May of their senior year. Students needed to write a commentary on a poem or prose passage they had never seen. They also had to respond to a question using two works they had read. Insightful analysis was golden. Paraphrasing was the kiss of death.

How to help my students tackle this? My students and I examined the IB’s assessment rubrics which called for them to: show perceptive understanding; use detailed textual evidence; write clearly, precisely and concisely. The IB demanded my students think and communicate for themselves.

So, together, we dove into the text. The literature needed to resonate with my students. We considered the beauty of the language, the universality of experience that it captures. Reading Chronicle of a Death Foretold, we saw the world through the eyes and values of the Vicario brothers. Students thought critically. They reflected not only on what they learned but how they learned. Students were at the center: leading Socratic seminars, digging out motifs and cutting the flab out of their writing. By the end nobody paraphrased. These young adults had ideas about literature that they could communicate and back up with evidence.

My students took their IB exams (full diploma candidates take classes in six subjects) and went to college — in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Denmark, England. In reports back, most said college was easier than high school. They could write research papers, defend their ideas and manage their time. I wished I had had the IB to prepare me for college.

Fortunately, students in Minnesota do. Minnesota is home to 44 IB schools — out of 3,130 worldwide —  with others in the process of becoming authorized. I work at Park Center Senior High which offers sophomores the final year of the IB’s Middle Years Program and juniors and seniors the Diploma Program. (The IB also has a preK-5 Primary Years Program.) Our students are benefiting from the IB’s focus on thinking critically and communicating clearly. Just ask those at Park Center.

What has your experience been with IB?

Equity and quality needed in K-12

By Carlos Mariani Rosa, September guest blogger

From the vantage point of the two public places I occupy: the chair of a state legislative committee on education and the director of a nonprofit focused on advancing the academic success of students of color, I want to share my assessment of Minnesota’s success in properly educating all students for the rigors of our world: we are doing a lousy job.

I won’t belabor the depth and diversity of statistics that back that assessment, including: the graduation rates of African-American boys, the college retention rates of white students and the high school standardized test results of ELL students. The Minnesota Minority Education Partnership has spent a decade reporting these outcomes and you can find those online.

Minnesota’s education system does great things, but not for all students, and in some communities not even for the majority of those students. We fail miserably with students of color but we also don’t produce the best K-12 outcomes — defined as college-ready for maximum global engagement — for all students, including white students.

Equity and quality may seem to be separate ideals but I believe in this case, they are one in the same. For example; only 34% of white students are deemed college-ready by ACT test results. And while this measure is only 16% for Latinos, the correct goal for that community is not to achieve the 34% white student outcome — which is too low — but for Latino, white and all other student groups to achieve 100% readiness rates.

While it’s true that an individual can attain quality academic outcomes in almost any school, it is also true that the odds of doing so diminish when the student is in an environment that fails to drive the same level of quality for other students. And make no mistake on this point: legislators invest over a third of our state budget to produce nothing less than quality from every student. We don’t do that in order to validate unequal advantages pre-existing in society upon students’ entrance to our public schools.

Generally speaking, all students are greatly influenced by school community dynamics. Students improve when they challenge themselves, but also when they are challenged by their community of classmates.

And increasingly that classmate community in Minnesota schools is a racially and ethnically diverse one, made up of students with different learning styles and world perspectives that our system has yet to develop competency with in order to drive quality.

And so it’s not just equity that suffers, with students of color persistently showing up in the lower end of achievement measures. Overall quality suffers, with all students unable to push the boundaries of their gifts by virtue of being part of a system that signals its acceptance of low achievement. All kids — black, white, brown — profoundly get this message.

We are more linked to one another — across race and culture — than we have been led to understand. While “closing the gap” is indeed about race equity, racial equity is about all of us.

I’ll blog next on the recent failure of our state’s political systems to move education reform ahead — and I’ll include myself in that critique.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Keeping kids focused on the destination

By Kathleen O'Donnell, July guest blogger

In late June, while most kids were just settling into summer, Destination 2010 students came together to prepare for the final leg of their K-12 journey. Their third annual summer weekend retreat was held at Camp Saint Croix with the theme of Rising to the Challenge and Exceeding Expectations.

Destination 2010 is an initiative of The Minneapolis Foundation designed to help a cohort of students graduate on time (in 2010) and pursue higher education — while sharing lessons learned along the way. Instead of creating new programs, the initiative weaves together existing resources to provide information, opportunities, and support to the students, the majority of whom are low-income students of color, and many of whom will be the first in their families to attend college. The program also conducts campus tours, connects kids with summer enrichment activities (and underwrites the costs), and offers many other activities to keep kids involved, focused, and achieving year round.

It’s an unusual program for its size and scope — launched in 2001, every 3rd grader in seven struggling Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools was invited to participate. Every student who remained continuously enrolled in the two districts would receive a $5,000 or $10,000 scholarship to pursue post-secondary education. As they prepare to enter their senior year, 185 students remain in the program. This includes 40% of the original 364 students, along with students in another program who merged with Destination 2010 midstream.

The high attrition rate underscores the fact that mobility has posed the same challenges to Destination 2010 as it has to the school system itself. And the effect on the students can be devastating. We’ve witnessed first-hand the corrosive effects of mobility on relationships over time, on access to information and opportunities, and on academic success.

On the flip side, one of our greatest successes has been the ability to keep students on our radar who might have otherwise fallen off. For many students, the identity of being in Destination 2010 has transcended time and place. We’ve been able to maintain relationships with some students through homelessness, multiple moves, family upheaval, and time in the juvenile justice system.

Another significant challenge has been the need to constantly combat the pull of low expectations — both from external sources and within the students themselves — especially among so-called ‘average” students. Generally speaking, high-performing low-income students (those who are “beating the odds”) garner attention. Students viewed as average or underperforming often pass under the radar of efforts to nurture college aspirations. Yet even as Destination 2010’s approach has been to set the same high goals for all students, that vision hasn’t necessarily taken root for every single student or family.

And, honestly, for some students, the barriers can seem overwhelming. It can be very challenging to continue to hold high expectations and demand accountability for our students, when we’re aware of the difficulties and instability in their personal lives. It’s a balancing act for everyone who teaches young people to strive to achieve amid stressful circumstances.

Fortunately, we work in close partnership with the families, community programs, and school leadership and staff. To connect most effectively with the students and their families, a group of Destination 2010 liaisons who reflect the diversity of our students serve as the primary contacts. The liaisons have built relationships that open the door for tough conversations about what it will take to get into higher ed. They work with the students, but also help families navigate the roadmap to higher education (financial aid applications, appropriate pre-college class selections, etc.). They even keep family phone numbers current...not a small task. They keep our students encouraged and connected; keep the families informed, involved, and empowered; and have helped make Destination 2010 a diverse yet cohesive community of students striving to achieve.

Destination2010 student Rakeem has reflected, "I have been through a lot of programs in my life due to certain circumstances, but D2010 is by far my favorite. I look forward to seeing my friends and fellow students doing something productive and so serious about their lives to come. I see so many of my peers throwing their lives away with drugs and what not. I have made the choice to do something better and I feel that the decision I have made is the right one. Well, I am aware of my surroundings and I am capable of getting to my destination, are you?”

Question to readers: What strategies have you found to be successful in keeping students connected through achievement programs that aren’t necessarily focused on a specific school, neighborhood, or activity?

Latinos engage on education policy issues

By Rogelio Muñoz, March guest blogger

During President Barack Obama’s first address to the nation last month, he called for Americans to be more civically engaged in their communities on issues important to them. The president emphasized the significance of what we each can do when we unite, mobilize, and work together. In Minnesota, that charge has been the essence of Latino civic engagement for generations and today it is no different.

Shortly after the 2009 Legislative Session convened in early January, the state’s Latino community participated in the 2009 Latino Legislative Day at the Capitol. The event, organized by the state’s Chicano Latino Affairs Council, was the first in modern history to bring Latinos together under one united voice to support a multi-issue policy agenda.  With some 200 Latino community members, leaders, supporters, and longtime advocates, the day at the Capitol addressed the council’s priorities for the 2009 Legislative Session and important policy issues for Minnesota’s Latino community, such as Pre K-12 education, higher education, and health. 

On the issue of education in the state, Latino students in public schools continue to be impacted by the achievement gap across all subject areas and have the lowest graduation rate. Currently, Minnesota’s minority communities or people of color comprise more than 14 percent of the total state population. When you compare this percentage to students of color in our public schools, the percentage is much higher at 24 percent or almost one-fourth of the total student enrollment. Further, Minnesota’s total Latino population is at 4 percent (208,000) while it is surpassed by the total Latino student enrollment at 6.1 percent (51,000). What does this say? Clearly, the state’s Latino community is younger and growing fast.

During the Latino Legislative Day at the Capitol, 25 teams organized and led by Latino community leaders, met with state legislators to brief them on the needs of Latino students. View their recommendations 

Minnesota must meet the needs of Latino students in public schools and prepare them for higher education. It’s important to our community and to the state. 

Small Minnesota schools have lowest percent needing remediation in public colleges/universities

By Joe Nathan, January guest blogger

Here's something little noted when an important state report was released last year. The report dealt with the number of Minnesota public high school graduates who need to take a remedial (aka "developmental" ) course in reading, writing or math at a Minnesota public college or university. 

First, large numbers of high school graduates 2003-2006 entered Minnesota public 2-4 year colleges and universities: 49% overall Minnesota public high school graduates in those years). The rates vary among high schools.

However a disturbing percentage of the graduates who entered Minnesota public colleges or universities, needed remedial courses in reading, writing or math. Statewide, it was 38% of Minnesota high school graduates who attended our public 2-4 year universities, a total of 10,834 students.  The trend is for more, rather than fewer graduates to take remedial courses.

Which high schools have the smallest percentage of their graduates taking remedial courses at Minnesota's public colleges and universities?  All fifty high schools with the strongest record in this report are in greater Minnesota.  Forty-six of them are quite small, in places like Clinton Graceville (52% of 2003-2006 grads entering a Minnesota 2-4 year college or university, but only 13% of them taking a remedial course, Verndale, 57% of graduates entering a public college, 15% taking a remedial course, and Chokio-Alberta, 66% of graduates entering a public 2-4 year institution, but only 16% taking a remedial course).

Some suburban educators have pointed out that they have larger percentages of graduates entering Minnesota universities that are private, or colleges outside of Minnesota.  That’s true.  But there still are thousands of suburban public high school graduates taking remedial courses.

Give educators and families credit for helping many students enter higher education. But students clearly need more encouragement to take advantage of challenging high school courses – especially in math.

When I wrote about this last year, a couple of college students contacted me.  "Yes," they agreed, it is important for many high school students to take more challenging courses.  "But, it's also important for high school teachers to encourage students in those challenging courses. Sometimes faculty teaching the most challenging courses encourage students to drop out of them, when they really are capable of doing the work."

That's where learning from some of the state's smallest and most successful high schools comes in.  When our staff interviewed them a couple of years ago, we heard over and over that these successful small schools:

• Do not offer a large number of courses in key academic subjects.  They encourage virtually all students to take challenging, college prep courses.
• Have developed strong options for those not interested in attending 4 year institutions, that help lead to good jobs in applied fields like printing, electricity, construction, car or computer repair, etc.
• Often have partnered with 2 and 4 year institutions to offer courses described immediately above
• Work with families and community groups so there are clear, strong consistent messages including, "continuing your education is valuable, doing well in academics is important, and we believe in you!"
• Deep belief from faculty that most students should continue their education beyond high school, whether in a two or four year institution.

Unfortunately, Minnesota taxpayers and families are paying MILLIONS of dollars for students to take classes covering material that most of them should have mastered in high school. This is especially true in math. Of the 2005 high school graduates who took remedial courses in Minnesota public colleges or universities, 36% took a course in “developmental mathematics” compared to 17% in “developmental writing” and 13% in “developmental reading.”

Minnesota trends are not encouraging. The percentage of Minnesota high school graduates attending public colleges and universities is not increasing. It was 49% in 2000-2003, and in 2003-2006. Even more important, the percentage of Minnesota high school graduates taking remedial courses on entering public colleges and universities is NOT declining. It was 33% for the class of 1999, 36% for the classes of 2001-2003, 37% for the class of 2004, and 38% for the class of 2005. As legislators and educators try to improve education, the trend should be down, not up.

The data comes from “Getting Prepared 2008,” a study done by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State College and University system (MnSCU). The report is available at www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/gettingprepared08.pdf

The report suggests possible reasons for the increase. First, “since 1999…larger percentages of new high school graduates were attending public colleges and universities.” But since 2001, “the percentage of new high school graduates enrolling in Minnesota public higher education institutions has been relatively steady at 49 or 50 percent.” Next, the report notes that recently MnSCU has done “more thorough placement testing and enforcement of required enrollment in developmental education.”

Developmental – also known as remedial – courses do not count toward graduation. Statistics cited above may help account for disturbingly low graduation rates at many Minnesota public colleges and universities.

The report is published every few years, and has valuable information.  But it would be even more helpful if data from Minnesota's private colleges and universities were included. Is this possible?  Could Minnesota's Private College Council work with the University of Minnesota and MnSCU, to help make even more comprehensive information available?

Rochester initiative is helping to ensure that students are prepared for the future

By Jessica Ihrke, November guest blogger

Last month I had the privilege of stepping back into the 7th grade classroom to implement a module from the LearnDoEarn program. Although this was a very positive experience, I was quickly reminded of what a challenging and demanding position our teachers have every day. They are truly amazing!!  The Rochester Area Chamber and the business community took the lead in advancing the LearnDoEarn initiative in our middle and high schools. It is a strategic and systematic way to build academic momentum, increase student participation In rigorous STEM courses, impress the value and importance of strong work ethic, and develop computer proficiency and financial literacy. In short, it ensures that all students in the Rochester Area graduate successfully and prepared for post-secondary education, work and life.

Through the implementation of a LearnDoEarn module entitled “Be Great by Eight,” 7th grade students received crucial information they needed to know to improve their educational, career and life options. For example, did you know that adults who did no homework in school usually earn 35% less than adults who did 15 hours of homework per week in school? That’s right! Homework really matters and what students are learning now, and doing now in school every day, enables them to earn more later in life! We also got into some great conversation on low skills jobs and how the workforce is changing due to many factors such as the rapid advancements in technology. One student realized why he may not be able to flip burgers like his uncle in 10+years. It was not because he or the job was not good enough, it was the simple fact that his friend across the aisle shared: “Robots will flipping our burgers.” And this student was absolutely right on track!

We need to continue to share with our students, teachers and parents that we are truly preparing our children for their world. To be prepared for the jobs that have yet to be invented. And to let them know that we need every last student! We cannot get enough innovators, scientists, mathematicians, programmers, designers and problem solvers. We invite you to visit www.rochestermnchamber.com to learn more about Workforce 2020 and related efforts such as the LearnDoEarn initiative.

Please share your innovative education/workforce strategies with us and how your community is positively taking action to prepare your workforce!

Under-developed reading skills can be a barrier to success

By Kathy Glampe, August guest blogger

I grew up reading.  Every week during the summer, my Mom would take me to the library where I would check out 10-12 novels. While I don’t really remember this, my Mom told me that I would wake up around 5 or 6 a.m. so that I could get several hours of reading time in before my friends woke up and would want me to go out and play. 

Unfortunately, many low-income and first generation students aren’t being nurtured in this way, and many aren’t reading at all. When a student in the Student Support Services program (SSS) at St. Olaf College reported to me that he had nothing to do this summer, I provided him several novels. When I checked in with him, he said he had started one, but had returned to Sports Illustrated. When he mentioned that he would read if he were to have the DaVinci Code, I brought in a copy for him. (Of course, I also reminded him that St. Olaf has one of the largest collections of books in the Midwest….) Unfortunately, that didn’t get him to read either — even when we talked about the importance of reading to improving his academic success.   
      
This student is representative of many low-income and first-generation students, and it poses a serious threat to students’ academic success.  Theron P. Snell, in a recent article, First-Generation Students, Social Class and Literacy writes that “only about one-third of those from the lowest income group (families with income under $10,000) read literature during the survey year.”

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that reading proficiency has declined in all groups of students. Not surprisingly, the under-developed critical reading and writing skills of many TRiO eligible students (low income, first generation students and students with disabilities) at St. Olaf is one of the areas my colleagues in the STEM fields have identified as a significant barrier to TRiO students’ academic success in STEM. 

Fortunately, I work with many dedicated science and mathematics faculty at St. Olaf who are invested in the success of students who are TRiO eligible. To address this problem, professor of biology Anne Walter and English professor and director of writing, Diane Leblanc, developed a new course targeted to science and math majors from underprepared groups to focus on their reading and writing skills. 

While I am thankful to work at an institution that is willing to focus time and resources in this area, I know that not all colleges are able to provide such assistance. Moreover, this is only one small step to remedy a vast problem. Encouraging all students, especially low-income and first generation students, to become proficient readers and lovers of books is critical to their college success.

What have you seen working for all ages — K-postsecondary? How can we as individuals make a difference?

Tap low-income students for careers in STEM

By Kathy Glampe, August guest blogger

During the past year, I have heard many warnings in the news, at conferences and even in Readers Digest, that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Whether it is the number of engineers the U.S. graduates compared to China, India and South Korea or the investment that U.S. companies are making in research and design, the message is clear—we are losing ground. The U.S. must take very seriously its ability to compete in STEM if it is to remain a global leader.

An important part of maintaining our competitive edge is preparing the virtually untapped pool of low-income students for study and careers in STEM. According to the Louis Stokes Institute for Opportunity in STEM Education, for every 10,000 low-income students starting 9th grade, only 30 will earn a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and only 1 will begin graduate school in a STEM field the year after earning the bachelor’s degree. We need to invest in this vast pool of potential scientists, mathematicians and engineers not only to boost the U.S. ability to compete on a global basis, but because it is the right thing to do.

What can we do?

• Encourage your legislators (both at the local, state and federal levels) to support and expand initiatives that assist low-income students to pursue and succeed in STEM fields (i.e. TRiO Math and Science Upward Bound programs, SMART grants to encourage low-income student engagement in STEM, NSF funded S-STEM programs, etc.)
• Support and expand non-federally funded programs (i.e. Pipeline Summer Camp Programs)
• Support and assist K-12 educators to expand the pool of students prepared for STEM fields
• Reach out to students you know and suggest science and math

I would love to hear your ideas for what can be done to address this important issue!