Study: Parents Need To Plant College-going Seed While Children Are In Middle School
From Diverse Online
Study: Parents Need To Plant College-going Seed While Children Are In Middle School
By Marlon A. Walker
Dec 11, 2007, 21:28
A study being released today says parents are missing an opportunity to help their children prepare for college during the middle-school years, seen as a critical development time for a person's educational future.
"From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality," prepared by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), details what parents and students should be concentrating on while preparing for college. The focus was on parents of children in grades 6 through 8, the traditional middle-school years. Researchers discovered that, while the majority of parents expect their children to go to college, most are not doing much to see that goal to fruition.
"Clearly, there is a need for students and parents to know much earlier about the college process in order to make sound decisions later on," said Jamie P. Merisotis, IHEP's founding president. "Planning ahead is important because many decisions must be made before high school, such as choosing the academic coursework necessary to prepare for college."
While 87 percent of the parents interviewed for the report expected their child to go to college, about two-thirds of the parents had not begun saving for tuition. The study also found that more than one-third of the parents said they had no information on college preparation or the admissions process. While influences outside the home are factors in a child's decision-making process, Merisotis says parents have the most say...
Complete Story:
Study: Parents Need To Plant College-going Seed While Children Are In Middle School
Link to report:
Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
