Recommendations for Solving Low Rates of College Readiness at James Monroe

Posted: March 15th, 2023

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Recommendations for Solving Low Rates of College Readiness at James Monroe

High School, West Virginia

Michael Whitener

School of Education, Liberty University

In partial fulfillment of EDUC 887

Author Note:

Michael Whitener

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Michael Whitener

Email: mwhitener@liberty.edu

Chapter 1: Introduction

Overview

The purpose of this study was to provide Recommendations for solving low college readiness rates at James Monroe High School, West Virginia. The problem was that 28% of the low-income and underserved students were ready for college compared to an 84% overall college readiness rate (Vogel & Heidrich, 2020). This chapter of the report presents the Organizational Profile, an Introduction to the problem, the Significance of the Research, the Purpose Statement, the Central Research Question, and the Definitions for this research.

Organizational Profile

The education site for this study was James Monroe High School in West Virginia. Its mission is to educate its student population with a rigorous, multifaceted curriculum that empowers students to express personal histories, build meaningful connections to the outside world, and become lifelong learners. Its vision is to motivate every student to achieve academic and personal success through a dynamic academic program, personalized relationships, and meaningful connections to the outside world. The school is in Monroe County and serves students from various backgrounds (white, black, and low-income). It has 524 students from the 9th to 12th grade, ranking it the 76th in West Virginia and 10416th nationally ( James Monroe high school, n.d).

Introduction to the problem

The problem at the school was that 28% of the low-income and underserved students were ready for college compared to an 84% overall college readiness rate (Vogel & Heidrich, 2020). College readiness indicators at the school include placement tests and GPA, among others. States can establish school-specific standards to measure college readiness rates (Leeds & Mokher, 2019). The total minority enrollment is 3%, and in terms of National Rankings, it is ranked at 9379 according to how well they prepare its students for college, graduation, and performance. College readiness can be compared to the rate at which students enroll at college and in each grade. Students’ enrollment rate by grade in Monroe high school decreases as they proceed to the next grades. The slight decline was reported to be taking rigorous courses in high school such as mathematics as their advanced courses, which decreases from 3% to 1% and likewise to science courses.

Unequal distribution of college readiness among students raises questions about teaching approaches and discrimination at West Virginia schools. Some students from majority groups have advantages over their peers from low-income families. Consequently, James Monroe High school must find ways of balancing different students’ needs which appears to be the major cause of the current performance gaps. Boyce et al. (2020) analyzed the effects of educational attainment and income on students’ performance in urban schools. Their results showed that ethnicity and racial groupings affected students’ performance. Black students and those whose parents had low academic attainment performed dismally. Based on their findings, family issues could also prompt low performance. As more diagnosis is undertaken in the school setting, understanding children’s experiences with their families through the quantitative survey will be crucial.

Significance

SOLUTION

Research shows that college readiness is influenced by a variety of factors, including academic preparation, socio-economic status, parental involvement, and access to resources and support (Adelman, 2006; Roderick et al., 2013). In particular, students from low-income and underserved backgrounds are less likely to have access to the resources and support needed for college readiness.