The SOURCE Program: An Intervention to Promote College Application and Enrollment Among Urban Youth
Differences in rates of college-going among high school students based on family income are large and longstanding. Research indicates that only about half of this difference in college enrollment rates can be explained by differences in high school grades and achievement test scores. Considering the importance of a college education for the long-term earnings of high school students, this college enrollment gap constitutes a major lost opportunity for the higher education system today.
The SOURCE project is a partnership between BPA and EdBoost with support from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). It is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences and the WT Grant Foundation. This three-year demonstration project is designed to increase college-going rates among LAUSD students and provides college-eligible high school juniors with counseling, information, and oversight as they complete the college application process. Research goals include addressing gaps in our understanding of the effectiveness of policies to increase college enrollment. The SOURCE demonstration will provide a direct test of the importance of these factors on college enrollment among students from low-income families.
BPA will conduct an evaluation in 2007 and 2008 to determine the impact of the SOURCE program on college enrollment rates and rates of financial aid receipt.
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