Maximizing College Readiness for All Through Parental Support

The lack of college readiness skills is a national problem, particularly for underachieving high school students. One solution is to offer authentic early college coursework to build confidence and academic momentum. This case study explored a partnership between a traditional, suburban high school (600 students) and a community college to maximize college credit accumulation for students from the middle academic quartiles and asked, “How can parental support help increase college readiness skills for academically average students?” The author analyzed data from planning meeting notes, student surveys, and interviews with leaders, teachers, parents, and students. Over three years, 74 students averaged 9.4 college credits/year with a 91 % success rate. Parent en-gagement was indispensable for recruitment and enrollment, financial support, and emotional guidance; the financial contribution actually seemed to stimu-late parental involvement