Clearinghouse Findings on Factors in College Entry, Science & Engineering Majors

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a variety of services to schools districts and universities around the country, including a tracking service used to calculate reliable college-entry and retention rates. The Boise District has used Clearinghouse services since 2005.

The Clearinghouse has a research group that is increasingly producing interesting reports about patterns of college attendance and graduation patterns nationwide. An article today in the Huffington Post by Jennifer Klein told of an NSC research report indicating that poverty is the strongest factor influencing college attendance, regardless of minority or rural/urban status of the school. Here is the NSC research report, in which the college enrollment patterns of over 3.5 million students were studied.

Though few would be surprised by the findings in the NSC report, it points up the importance of scholarship and grant opportunities for students with potential such as Capital alum Kristie Hoang, last year's Bev and George Harad AVID scholarship winner, who's attending the University of Southern California this fall.

NSC researchers have also done analyses of Science and Engineering degree patterns among students nationwide in their database. One article examines patterns of Science and Engineering degrees by gender, and finds that degree completions are increasing rapidly for both women and men, and that the percentages by gender of S & E degree completion are equivalent.

However, the study includes social science and psychology degrees in the Science and Engineering category. When the data are broken down, 81% of Engineering degrees are attained by males, a statistic that has not changed since 2009. The percentages in other areas: Math and Computer Science, 74% male, and Physical Sciences and Earth and Ocean Sciences, 62% males.

On the other hand, 58% of Biological and Ag Science degrees and 62% of Social Science and Psychology degrees were attained by females.

AVID - Helping College Dreams Come True

In 2006, the Boise District initiated a pilot of a program called Advancement Via Individual Determination - AVID - at Fairmont Junior High School. AVID is a college preparation program which started in San Diego in 1980, with the express purpose of preparing students from the "forgotten middle" - kids who might not otherwise attend college - for post-secondary opportunities.

In the AVID Program, students are identified in elementary school as having potential to go on to college, and provided with organizational and study skills, and with a belief that they can, oftentimes, be the first in their family to pursue college studies. Then, beginning in 7th grade, these students are enrolled in Accelerated Math, Reading, and English classes, and in a supporting AVID elective class during the school day. Tutors, usually from Boise State University, provide help during the AVID period with math and language arts, and students use critical reading and questioning techniques to develop skills in presenting their work and asking questions.

From its beginnings at Fairmont, AVID has expanded across the Boise District, and is now in place at each one of Boise's 8 junior high schools and 5 high schools. The chart below illustrates the growth of AVID in the Boise District.

Three AVID classes have graduated from Boise District high schools. Of 124 AVID grads, 101 (81%) enrolled in college the semester after high school graduation. 96 (77%) are still enrolled in college. The "Direct to College" rate for the Boise District class of 2013 was 60%; the statewide rate in 2010 was 45%.

Here is a pie chart showing where AVID grads are going to school.

Most AVID grads attend in-state colleges; however, among the "other" destinations are Northwest Nazarene University, Pepperdine University, Baylor University, Seattle University, and Northern Arizona University.

Three other Idaho districts are participating in AVID. Vallivue District in Caldwell is in its third year, and Mt. Home and Emmett Districts are in the initial phases of AVID implementation.

Here is a great video about the AVID program in Boise, and a powerpoint presentation about the history of Boise's AVID program can be found under "Current Highlights and Events".