How can high schools help more of their students make it to college and be better prepared to do college-level work?

Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do (PDF), a new practice guide from the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse, offers five straightforward recommendations on how to prepare students for college:

  • Offer a college preparatory curriculum and make sure that, by ninth grade, students understand academic requirements for college entry and success
  • Use assessment throughout high school to help students understand their relative readiness for college, and help them address any identified deficiencies
  • Surround students with people—adults and peers—who build and support their college-going aspirations
  • Help students complete required steps for college entry
  • Increase families’ financial awareness and help students apply for financial aid