College and Career Success

To provide all students with skills and knowledge needed for life success, research and discourse on effective education reform must identify and critically examine pathways that lead to college and/or rewarding careers. There is widespread acknowledgement that a strong education is a prerequisite for full participation in economic life. Estimates suggest that the difference in lifetime earnings among high school graduates and high school dropouts approaches half-a-million dollars. Engaging students' diverse needs and educational interests is a necessary strategy for promoting individual accomplishment, as well as sustaining our nation's long-term global competitiveness. Continued exploration into programs and practices that help students' successfully pursue their education is precisely the type of "hands-on" work required to promote an engaged and productive citizenry.

The Rennie Center's College and Career Success study area examines educational pathways that lead to high levels of educational attainment, including: high school dropout prevention and recovery, alternative and vocational education, competency-based education, college readiness, community college, and multiple pathways to prosperity.