College and Career Development

This publication from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University explores the issues of college readiness and offers models to help districts, schools, and stakeholders prepare students for college success.

This link to the former National High School Center website provides resources on college and career readiness. The website provides a variety of documents exploring issues associated with college and career readiness.

The College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS) is one of 22 comprehensive centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The CCRS Center serves as a technical assistance hub for Regional Comprehensive Centers, State Educational Agencies, and other CCRS stakeholders. Its mission is to better inform, align, and support efforts to ensure that all students are ready for success in college and careers.

Prepared by the former National High School Center, this quick stqats fact sheet summarizes key data related to college and career readiness, including information on implacations for underserved populations. 

This document by the California Center for College and Career reviews the meaning of college and career readiness and suggests a framework for defining it.

This U.S. Department of Education document provides an explanation of college and career-ready standards and assessments.

This tool from Achieve (American Diploma Project Network) enables a state to identify the range and status of policies and practices supporting the state’s college- and career-readiness agenda. As noted in the scan’s introductory paragraph, “The observations gleaned from this tool are intended to assist a state in identifying gaps in policy and practice and prioritized key next steps to ensure a state’s successful pursuit and sustainability of a college- and career-ready agenda.”

This link to the ACT website provides the results from its 2012 report on the condition of college and career readiness.

This link to the ACT website provides the results from its 2013 report on the condition of college and career readiness.

The Educational Policy and Improvement Center (EPIC) is a nationally recognized leader in the field of College and Career Readiness. Founded by David T. Conley, Ph.D., EPIC works in collaboration with the University of Oregon's Center for Educational Policy Research (CEPR). The EPIC website provides resources for educators addressing college and career readiness, in particular exploring Dr. Conley's Four Keys to College and Career Readiness.

This You Tube link is to a presentation by David T. Conley, Ph.D., discusses Four Keys to College and Career Readiness. This presentation runs 50 minutes. Dr. Conley authored the book College and Career Ready and is the founder and director of the Center for Educational Policy Research (CEPR) at the University of Oregon.

This 2012 National Center for Education Statistics study presents 46 indicators of important developments and trends in the education of males and females within and across specific racial/ethnic groups.

Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) is devoted to enhancing college readiness and college completion in the United States. At its website resources on transforming education through technology are available. As noted at its website, "NGLC is led by EDUCAUSE in partnership with the League for Innovation in the Community College, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), and the Council of Chief State School Officer (CCSSO). Funding is provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation."

This link to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) website provides information and resources associated with its college and career readiness initiative. Though the initiative directly impacts five states, educators in other states may find the content useful.

This report from ACT identifies six steps policymakers and educators can take to create a new culture of student readiness within each state.

This link to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development website provides information on the skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century. Though the content is oriented towards an international audience, the general content is applicable to students and educators as well.

This link is to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) follow up report to the previously released the findings of the international Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Following the release of the initial study, the U.S. Department of Education asked the OECD to examine the U.S. data in depth. The resulting report examines at the background of the U.S. low-skilled population, identifies policy implications, and offers recommendations that could provide a framework to on U.S. strengths and systemically address skill weaknesses.

This State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) document provides guidance for educational policymakers and K-12 school leaders on school technology readiness for college and career ready teaching, learning, and assessment.

This informative site launches the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) updated 'State of the States' (SOS) interactive tool in response to RCC and SEA requests for information about trends across states’ implementation practices.  This new SOS tool provides "implementation of college- and career-readiness and next generation science and math standards", as well as development of assessment systems, and tracks accountability metrics through their ESEA flexibility applications.  Addtional tools include: Common Core infomation, Building Blocks and curriculum for K-8 college-bound students, webinars and a Resource Library.

This Department of Education website offers college-bound students a scorecard rating 2 to 4-year colleges by programs, cost, size and potential earning post graduation.  This College Scorecard is a helpful tool for students who are trying to find the best college option for their needs.

Up to the Challenge The Role of Career and Technical Education and 21st Century Skills in College and Career Readiness explores how educators can utilize the 21st century skills and career and technical education to enhance college and career readiness among their students. The document was jointly authored by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the Association for Career and Technical Education, and the National Association State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium.