Full Description
Under increasing pressure to raise graduation rates and ensure that students leave high school college- and career-ready, many school and district leaders may believe that, when students graduate with college acceptances in hand, their work is done. But as Benjamin L. Castleman and Lindsay C. Page show, summer can be a time of significant attrition among collegeintending seniors - especially those from low-income families. Anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of students presumed to be headed to college fail to matriculate at any postsecondary institution in the fall following high school.
Summer Melt explores the complex factors that contribute to this trend - the absence of school support, confusion over paperwork, lack of parental guidance, and the teenage tendency to procrastinate. The authors draw on findings from fields such as neuroscience, behavioral economics, and social psychology to contextualize these factors. Drawing on a series of research studies, they show how schools and districts can developeffective, low-cost, scalable responses - including counselor outreach, peer mentoring, and using text messages and social media - to help students stay on track over the summer.
Summer Melt offers very practical guidance for schools and districts committed to helping their students make the transition to college.
Contents
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Melting Dreams 1
PART I: UNDERSTANDING SUMMER MELT
CHAPTER 1
A Trickle or a Torrent? 17
The Scope of Summer Melt
CHAPTER 2
Three Students, Three Summers 33
Navigating the Transition to College
CHAPTER 3
"Summer Melt Begins in February" 43
Punctures in the College Pipeline
PART II: MITIGATING SUMMER MELT
CHAPTER 4
Capitalizing on Counselors 71
Summer Outreach Within and Outside Schools
CHAPTER 5
Ten Texts to College 95
Using Technology to "Nudge" Students
CHAPTER 6
With a Little Help from My Friends 119
Peer Mentors Offer Summer Support
PART III: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND POLICY
CHAPTER 7
Assessing and Addressing Summer Melt 145
What High Schools and Community Groups Can Do
CHAPTER 8
Revisiting the Road Map to College 161
Opportunities for Cross-Sector Collaboration
CONCLUSION
Lessons from Summer Melt 179
APPENDIX A
Sample College Transition Cheat Sheet 183
APPENDIX B
Sample High School Exit Survey 185
APPENDIX C
Text Message Templates for Students and Parents 187
APPENDIX D
Overview of Required College Matriculation Tasks 191
NOTES 195
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 203
ABOUT THE AUTHORS 209
INDEX 211
