Encouraging college amongst low income and first-to-college students through the career and academic preparation academy

The need for students to prepare for college early in their high school career creates a need for school counselors to seek different tools and ways to reach students that may not be thinking about college. The need for programs and workshops to increase college preparation becomes more apparent amongst low income and first -to- college students. Currently low income students and first -to- college students are behind their more affluent counterparts in preparing for college and successfully transitioning to intuitions of higher education (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). This in conjunction with the lack of career exploration and a link between careers and educational attainment creates a necessity for a way to internally motivate students to prepare for college early in high school. The Career and Academic Preparation Academy Guidebook was based on these needs and the principles presented by Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, Social Cognitive Career Theory (1977) and Cultural Capital Theory (1977).This project proposes to motivate and inform counselors, administrators and other professionals interested in working with low-income, first-to-college students. The guidebook provides counselors or educators interested in setting up a summer program for ninth graders going on to tenth grade with an agenda and curriculum of workshops to be held at a university campus. The intent of this project is to educate professionals about the theories, research, and components that can increase the number of students that become admissible to four year universities upon high school graduation