College Access & Completion

Learn more about efforts to expand who goes to college and to help all students who enroll get their degree
College & Workforce Readiness College Advising Is in Short Supply in U.S. High Schools, Study Finds
Only a third of the country's public high schools have a counselor devoted to helping students get prepared for college, and the problem is even worse in high-poverty schools.
Catherine Gewertz, November 13, 2018
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Importance of SAT, ACT Scores Dwindling in College Admissions
A new survey shows that colleges are responding to the call to make SAT or ACT scores optional when students apply for admission.
Catherine Gewertz, November 12, 2018
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Learning About Los Angeles Students' Pathways to College
Research examines Los Angeles students' college-application and -enrollment behaviors to learn more about their pathways to college and where supports are needed.
Urban Education Contributor, November 12, 2018
4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness High School Students Getting More Interested in Activism, Counselors Report
Counselors at half of the nation's high schools say students are getting more interested in political activism. More than a third of college admissions officers say they're seeing more students write essays about political activism.
Catherine Gewertz, November 7, 2018
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness A Math Remediation Effort Boosted Students' College Credits. But Did Learning Improve?
Tennessee offers college remediation in 12th grade, and it pays off with boosting students' enrollment rates in credit-bearing classes. The catch? Students didn't appear to be any stronger in math than their peers.
Stephen Sawchuk, October 29, 2018
6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness New Scholarship Rewards Completing Road-to-College Steps
A new $25 million scholarship sponsored by the College Board rewards students for taking key steps to prepare for, and apply to, college.
Catherine Gewertz, October 18, 2018
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Low-Income Students Are More Likely to Underestimate Cost of College
A federal survey finds that students' estimates of the cost of tuition and fees at four-year colleges track closely with their socioeconomic backgrounds.
Catherine Gewertz, October 10, 2018
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Does Your School Post Its 'Profile' Online? And Why That Matters for College Admission
Students at high schools with large low-income populations could be at a disadvantage when applying to college because of a little-known document that's part of the process: each high school's "school profile."
Catherine Gewertz, October 5, 2018
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Michelle Obama's 'Reach Higher' Initiative Merges With the Common Application
The Common Application acquires "Reach Higher," a signature college-access initiative started by former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Catherine Gewertz, September 27, 2018
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness High School Counselors Think Colleges Should Drop SAT, ACT Requirements
A pair of new surveys shows deep skepticism about the value of college-admissions exams among high school counselors and college-admissions leaders. Both groups also worry about too much pressure to take AP courses, and lack of equal access to those classes.
Catherine Gewertz, September 24, 2018
3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Here's What You Need to Know About the Latest SAT Controversy
You might have heard that there were problems with the August SAT exam. Here's what you need to know.
Catherine Gewertz, September 5, 2018
3 min read
Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, in a February, 2018 photo.
Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, in a February, 2018 photo.
Ted S. Warren/AP-File
Education Funding Gates Unveils First-Round Grants in New Education Strategy
The $92 million in grants will support networks of schools working to help students of color and low-income students find a path to college.
Stephen Sawchuk, September 4, 2018
7 min read
College & Workforce Readiness One Way to Increase College Access: Encourage Students to Retake the SAT
Just over half of SAT takers retake the SAT at least once, but new research shows that retakes can have a significant effect on college enrollment.
Madeline Will, August 28, 2018
4 min read
Iishe Davis, a sophomore at Scripps College, is working this summer at the college campus in Claremont, Calif. Originally from Louisville, Ky., Davis got guidance on choosing a college through Ivy Plus Academy, a special program at her high school.
Iishe Davis, a sophomore at Scripps College, is working this summer at the college campus in Claremont, Calif. Originally from Louisville, Ky., Davis got guidance on choosing a college through Ivy Plus Academy, a special program at her high school.
Patrick T. Fallon/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness How One Teacher Makes 'Impossible' College Dreams Possible for Students
Many of Beau Baker’s brightest students in Louisville, Ky., entered high school thinking college was not for a first-generation kid like them. Baker is working to change that.
Sasha Jones, August 1, 2018
7 min read