Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Explaining Variation in College Going and Completion Rates in a sample of Rural Appalachian Youth
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
One of the most disturbing findings in recent studies of the impact of growing income inequality in the United States, is the persistent gap between the wealthiest quintile, and the lowest quintile in children’s educational attainment. [1] Children raised in the lowest income households have the highest high school drop out rate, and the lowest college completion rate, and this has changed little over the last forty years. For low income students who are able to surmount the hurdles of filing financial aid and college admissions paperwork, accessing financial aid, and gaining entrance to college, most will attend colleges and universities that are less selective, and with much lower student retention and four year graduation rates. [2] Byun et al (2011) identify a number of challenges specific to the rural college aged population, that present barriers to college going and college completion.[1] These include lower rates of post secondary educational attainment among parents, limited college preparatory curriculum in rural high schools, and fewer resources devoted to assisting high school students with understanding the college planning and attendance process. [2] In this research project we utilize data collected from young adults in a low income rural community in Appalachia (Grundy County) with very low college going rates. We consider a large number of independent variables hypothesized to explain variation in post secondary college experience to explain low interest in college going, initial enrollment but failure to proceed towards completion of a degree, cycles of enrollment and dropping out, and completion of a two or four year college degree.
[1] Byun, Soo Young, Judith L. Meece and Matthew J. Irvin. 2012. “Rural-Nonrural Disparities in Postsecondary Educational Attainment Revisited,” American Educational Research Journal. Vol 49:312.
[2] Ibid. p. 415.
[1] Wightman, Patrick and Sheldon Danziger. 2011. Poverty, Intergenerational Mobility and Young Adult Educational Advancement. Network on Transitions to Adulthood- Research Network. Working Paper.
[2] Ibid, p. 28.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Paige Schneider is Professor of Teaching in the department of politics at Sewanee:The University of the South. She integrates community engaged learning and action research into her teaching and research practices.
Emily Partin is director of the Grundy County Family Resource Center and Discover Together, an initiative in collaboration with Yale University that seeks to increase academic success and resiliency among low income rural Appalachian preschool children and parents.
Explaining Variation in College Going and Completion Rates in a sample of Rural Appalachian Youth
One of the most disturbing findings in recent studies of the impact of growing income inequality in the United States, is the persistent gap between the wealthiest quintile, and the lowest quintile in children’s educational attainment. [1] Children raised in the lowest income households have the highest high school drop out rate, and the lowest college completion rate, and this has changed little over the last forty years. For low income students who are able to surmount the hurdles of filing financial aid and college admissions paperwork, accessing financial aid, and gaining entrance to college, most will attend colleges and universities that are less selective, and with much lower student retention and four year graduation rates. [2] Byun et al (2011) identify a number of challenges specific to the rural college aged population, that present barriers to college going and college completion.[1] These include lower rates of post secondary educational attainment among parents, limited college preparatory curriculum in rural high schools, and fewer resources devoted to assisting high school students with understanding the college planning and attendance process. [2] In this research project we utilize data collected from young adults in a low income rural community in Appalachia (Grundy County) with very low college going rates. We consider a large number of independent variables hypothesized to explain variation in post secondary college experience to explain low interest in college going, initial enrollment but failure to proceed towards completion of a degree, cycles of enrollment and dropping out, and completion of a two or four year college degree.
[1] Byun, Soo Young, Judith L. Meece and Matthew J. Irvin. 2012. “Rural-Nonrural Disparities in Postsecondary Educational Attainment Revisited,” American Educational Research Journal. Vol 49:312.
[2] Ibid. p. 415.
[1] Wightman, Patrick and Sheldon Danziger. 2011. Poverty, Intergenerational Mobility and Young Adult Educational Advancement. Network on Transitions to Adulthood- Research Network. Working Paper.
[2] Ibid, p. 28.
