Winter 2008 Access Report

Study Examines Role of Middle School on College Access and Success

Increasingly, middle school is considered by education professionals as the “fork in the road” in a child’s life, the time when academic planning, as well as rigor, for college preparation must begin. Intervention programs that help students hone career aspirations and connect them to college have been successful tools in drop-out prevention efforts.

Middle school is a critical time for parents, as well, and the stage when they should begin planning for their child’s future college education. Research suggests, however, that many of today's parents lack the information and resources they need to effectively help their children with the college planning process.

A new survey from the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and The Sallie Mae Fund examines the role of middle school and its impact on future college aspirations. The first-of-its-kind report reveals that many parents of middle schoolers have good intentions when it comes to their child's higher education future but are unknowingly leaving their children at risk by failing to ensure they are properly prepared — from academics to finances to expectations — for college.

“In our research, we found that most parents of middle school students are confident that their child is going to college and believe college is very important to their child’s future. Unfortunately, some families are not aware of college-planning requirements, leaving students at risk of not properly preparing for college,” says Jamie Merisotis, founder of the Institute for Higher Education Policy and the newly appointed president and CEO of Lumina Foundation for Education.

“At the same time, many parents do not take the necessary steps to start planning for their children’s pathway to college, from gathering information about admissions or the academic curriculum required for college to planning financially for the eventuality of their children’s college education. This is especially true for parents who are from disadvantaged backgrounds,” he said.

The result of this lack of preparation can have long-term consequences. Over the course of a person’s working life, typical college graduates will earn 60% more than high school graduates. Those with advanced degrees fare even better, earning two to three times as much as those with a high school diploma.

As an example, in 2005 the typical full-time, year-round worker in the United States who had a four-year college degree earned $50,900 — 62% more than the $31,500 earned by the typical full-time year-round worker with only a high school diploma. Over a lifetime, the earnings gap adds up: $800,000 more for four-year college graduates than the expected earnings of high school graduates. The lifetime earnings premium increases to more than $1 million for men and women who earn higher degrees.

"There is a lifetime return on the four year investment of a college education," said Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), the architect of GEAR UP, the nation's most comprehensive, federal college access program. "A college education ensures better job opportunities, financial security and the development of critical skills necessary for a meaningful and successful career. College is the key that unlocks the door to all future opportunities. Families should begin early to plan academically and financially for their postsecondary education."

Findings of the survey are grouped into four areas: aspirations, college knowledge and planning, academic preparation, and financial preparation. The survey audience included 1,800 parents of middle school students, sixth through eighth grade. Among the key findings of From Aspirations to Action:

Aspirations

Aspiration is key to college preparation and attainment.
75% of parents believe a college degree is necessary for success.
The more education attained by parents, the more likely children are expected to attend college. Parents who did not graduate from high school were less likely to have this expectation and more likely to say that college enrollment would be the child’s decision.
Hispanic parents were somewhat less likely to expect their child to go to college.

College Knowledge and Planning

45% of parents have yet to take any college planning actions.
When asked about sources of information on college planning, parents most often cited family and friends, followed by the Internet.
More than one-third of parents reported having no sources of information on college preparation or admission.

Academic Preparation

A rigorous academic curriculum is one of the strongest predictors of college enrollment.
66% of parents believe their child should start taking classes in the ninth grade to prepare for college.
More than 80% of parents said they were aware of the curriculum their child needed to prepare for college. However, the survey did not validate the accuracy of that assumption.
61% of parents who had not graduated from high school and 72% of parents with a high school diploma or GED said they knew which classes their child should take to prepare for college.

Financial Preparation

63% of parents had not yet started to save for college.
Many students and parents are unaware of or overestimate the costs of a college education. This misunderstanding often determines the quality of their college planning process.
38% of parents believe paying for college is primarily their responsibility; 43% think it is a shared responsibility with their child.
Parents with higher levels of education thought they were solely responsible for paying for college; parents who had not graduated from high school were more likely to place responsibility for paying for college on the government.
Among parents who had started saving for college, the most common savings vehicles were bank savings accounts (28%), followed by bank CDs (15%) and U.S. savings bonds (13%).
Only 8% of parents used financial instruments specifically designed for saving for college, such as 529 college savings plans; less than 2% had used prepaid tuition plans; 1% had used loyalty reward programs.

Looking Ahead

At the heart of improving the higher education outlook for middle school students is redefining and elevating the role of parents, says Merisotis.

“Middle school students consistently say that their parents are a key source of information about college planning. We believe this is true because parents are in a unique position to inform their children about the specific steps necessary to attend college,” he says. “Some key activities that parents could take to better prepare their children for college include having them enroll in early-intervention programs that focus on career exploration and exercises that help map a student's future, as well as gathering information on academic and financial planning in preparation for college.”

Getting parents more involved in the college-planning process will require a comprehensive approach, according to Merisotis, one that combines outreach efforts, curricular changes, increased program support, and other activities. It also will require input and participation at various public and private levels, involving students and families, high schools, colleges, state and local governments, the federal government, and the private sector.

“From a policy standpoint, schools and counselors must reach out to parents and students to explain which courses are necessary for college and why it is important to plan for college in other ways,” Merisotis says. “Information about college options should be a standard part of any life skills curriculum taught in middle and high school, and schools should offer college-planning workshops to parents well before students begin the application process.

In addition, Merisotis suggests that Congress should support the Success in the Middle Act of 2007 (H.R. 3406), which was recently introduced to offer federal support to improve the education of middle school students in low-performing schools. Among other things, H.R. 3406 would authorize $1 billion a year for formula grants to states to provide grants to local school districts, as well as mandate sub-grant recipients to inform students about high school graduation and college admissions requirements.

Other recommendations cited in Aspirations to Action (PDF, 400KB) include:

Advocate groups for Latinos, African Americans, low-income families, immigrants, and others should distribute materials to increase college knowledge in all their outreach campaigns.
Governments, foundations, and the private sector should invest in disseminating college knowledge by providing funding to support outreach materials and information campaigns.
State and local governments, in coordination with middle and high schools, should ensure the smooth distribution of college knowledge, including providing increased support and training to teachers and guidance counselors.
Banks and other financial institutions should support efforts to reach parents early in the college planning process.
Schools must align curricula with college standards early, so that students take certain stepping-stone courses early enough to graduate from high school fully qualified for college.

“Clearly, there is a need for students and parents to know much earlier about the college process in order to make sound decisions later on. Middle school is a critical turning point — this is the time when a child’s educational future becomes in question. The more that can be done at this stage to ensure students and families have information about educational options, the more able they will be to lay the necessary groundwork for their future college opportunities,” says Merisotis.

Return to the Winter 2008 Access Report.