Abstracts - 18.4 Creating Sustainable School-University Partnerships
What's Missing: Why Foundations and Policy Analysts are Impatient with the Pace of School-College Reform
Diane R. Dean and Arthur Levine
This article addresses the checkered history of school-college reform initiatives with regard to increasing college access among low-income youth. It considers what is missing in the reform movement and why policymakers and funders have grown impatient. Focusing on what is possible, this article suggests what is needed, recommending three strategies for promoting college access and advancing school-college reform.
A Tale of Two Cultures: Schools and Universities in Partnership for School Reform and Student Success
Adrianna Kezar
School and university partnerships are a key strategy for reforming education and increasing college going. Successful programs such as GEAR UP demonstrate the need to expand these relationships. Yet, practitioners find it is difficult to work between these two very different contexts. This paper explores successful practices for navigating between the university and school cultures such as ensuring leadership, developing a shared vision, creating memorandum of understanding, conducting extensive planning and evaluation.
Educational Reform: Toward a K-16 Framework
Sylvia Rousseau
"No Child Left Behind" legislation requiring states to publicize annual test scores has heightened the nation's awareness of large academic achievement disparities among America's students. Statistics reveal disproportionately low college admission rates among African American and Latino students. The nation cannot afford to face the future with large numbers of its youth uneducated and poor; therefore, it is urgent for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education to join forces to reframe the nation's educational agenda.
Facilitating University Engagement with Schools
David J. Weerts
During the past decade, leaders of university engagement have strived to create reciprocal relationships between their campuses and the external partners they serve. Relying on a knowledge flow theoretical framework, this article examines the concept of university engagement in the context of school-university partnerships. Challenges and opportunities for promoting university engagement with schools are illustrated through a case study analysis. Recommendations for improving university-school partnerships are presented in the context of metropolitan universities.
A Perilous Path: Undocumented Immigrant Students and the College Pipeline
Paz M. Oliverez
Undocumented immigrant students are a growing population in our nation's urban high schools, colleges and universities. Prior to and upon entering institutions of higher education, these students require college preparatory information, support, and guidance. Accordingly, this article discusses the challenges undocumented students encounter as they move through the college pipeline and provides practical recommendations for how high schools and colleges can work together to improve these students' access to higher education.
It's about Time: Temporal Dimensions of College Preparation Programs
William G. Tierney, Ronald E. Hallett, and Kristan M. Venegas
After-school education programs for at-risk students are often implemented to increase academic performance and college readiness. This article explores the terms "out-of-school" and "after-school" related to college preparation programs and suggests that these programs should consider attendance, participation and intensity to impact a student's success in college. The article concludes with four practical steps to improve the structural design of after-school programs concerned about college preparation.
What Works In Out-of-School Time and How Do We Know?
Brianna Kennedy
The burgeoning field of Out-of-School Time provides academic and social services to K-12 students during the time that they are not in school. Hundreds of service providers offer a range of programs that target various student populations. Many tools exist to measure program performance, but no uniform evaluation methods exist to inform funders and community partners about the performance of local programs. The field would benefit from more uniform evaluation efforts, greater articulation between programs, and increased partnerships between service providers and other institutions.
