Drawing on a review of theory, methods, and the substantive focus of student success research in four disciplines, this report proposes a conceptual model to guide policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in their efforts to close well-documented gaps in student success. The model proposes that student success is determined by four layers of context: the students' internal context, the family context, the school context, and the broader social, economic, and policy context. 
The model also assumes that <ol>
<li>student success is a longitudinal process</li> <li>multiple theoretical approaches inform understanding of student success</li> <li>student success is shaped by multiple levels of context</li> <li>the relative contribution of different disciplinary and area perspectives to understanding student success varies</li> <li>multiple methodological approaches contribute to knowledge of student success</li> <li>student success processes vary across groups.</li> </ol>
The monograph offers several implications of the model for policymakers and practitioners as well as researchers. This is the first issue in the 34th volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

Theoretical Perspectives on Student Success: Understanding the Contributions of the Disciplines: ASHE Higher Education Report, Volume 34, Number 1

Education & Teaching

Thomas, Scott L.

Perna, Laura W.

Schools & Teaching

Jossey-Bass

The first broad national survey of the educational status, performance, progress, and financial support of African Americans in higher education and adult education. The report concludes that tremendous barriers to African American achievement remain and that many social challenges will have to be overcome before educational equality is achieved. The report notes that there are significant differences in the rates at which African American men and women enter, persist, and complete higher education degrees, and that as a result of these disparities, African Americans are less likely to fill work force positions that require college degrees. Other factors mentioned are low family incomes, which restrict entry to the full range of colleges and universities; the inadequate results of efforts to reduce attrition rates; the failure of research universities to attract representative numbers of African Americans; the persistence of test-score differences throughout undergraduate school; and choices of major fields of study (which typically limit the opportunities of African Americans to become college-level teachers and faculty). Lower participation by African Americans in adult education programs, especially career- and job-related programs, is also reported. The report text discusses these findings and illustrates some of the data in 18 charts.

The African American Education Data Book: Higher and Adult Education

Nettles, Michael T.

Hobbs, Mallery B.

Rhodes, Erica M.

Higher & Continuing Education

Frederick d Patterson Research inst

How state leadership determines effective higher education attainment.
Although the federal government invests substantial resources into student financial aid, states have the primary responsibility for policies that raise overall higher educational attainment and improve equity across groups. The importance of understanding how states may accomplish these goals has never been greater, as educational attainment is increasingly required for economic and social well-being of individuals and society.
Drawing on data collected from case studies of the relationship between public policy and higher education performance in five states―Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, and Washington―The Attainment Agenda offers a framework for understanding how state public policy can effectively promote educational attainment.
Laura W. Perna and Joni E. Finney argue that there is no silver bullet to improve higher education attainment. Instead, achieving the required levels of attainment demands a comprehensive approach. State leaders must consider how performance in one area (such as degree completion) is connected to performance in other areas (such as preparation or affordability), how particular policies interact to produce expected and unexpected outcomes, and how policy approaches must be adapted to reflect their particular context. The authors call for greater attention to the state role in providing policy leadership to advance a cohesive public agenda for higher education and adopting public policies that not only increase the demand for and supply of higher education but also level the playing field for higher educational opportunity.
The insights offered in The Attainment Agenda have important implications for public policymakers, college and university leaders, and educational researchers interested in ensuring sustained higher education attainment.

The Attainment Agenda: State Policy Leadership in Higher Education

Finney, Joni E.

Johns Hopkins University Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Perna, Laura W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Perna, Laura W.