College Knowledge: What It Really Takes for Students to Succeed and What We Can Do to Get Them Ready

"This is not a book of platitudes and generalities. Instead it offers a wealth of intelligent, specific ideas on how to improve American education for all students. And while educators will find the book enlightening, parents and high school students will be interested to learn what a genuine 'college prep' program is, how many schools with good reputations fail to provide it, and what they can do to steer their own right course of study."
--Michael Riley, superintendent, Bellevue School District, Bellevue, Washington

"For a number of years, Conley has been researching the problem so many students face once they are at their chosen school of higher education: that they are totally unprepared for the academic demands of their institutions . . . He lays out chapter by chapter what is wrong and how it can be remedied . . . Conley sees this problem being alleviated by strict course of study planning and by educated community volunteers who have the experience and vision to help teens wanting a higher education. This valuable book belongs in every high school library."
--School Library Journal

"The most comprehensive and detailed overview ever published on how to improve secondary school preparation and success for college. Research based insights, practices, and policies for all audiences trying to better connect secondary schools and colleges. Both K-12 and higher education must work together in fundamentally new ways to implement Conley's vision."
--Michael Krist, professor of education andbusiness administration, Stanford University

"Every high school should have a copy ofthis book on hand to help in designing a curriculum that ensures that all its students will be prepared for and experience success in college. College Knowledge provides a blueprint for what high school students should know and be able to do in order to be successful in college."
--Dawn P. Vaughn, president, American Association of School Librarians

Although more and more students have the test scores and transcripts to get into college, far too many are struggling once they get there. These students are surprised to find that college coursework demands so much more of them than high school. For the first time, they are asked to think deeply, write extensively, document assertions, solve non-routine problems, apply concepts, and accept unvarnished critiques of their work. "College Knowledge" confronts this problem by looking at the disconnect between what high schools do and what colleges expect and proposes a solution by identifying what students need to know and be able to do in order to succeed.

The book is based on an extensive three-year project sponsored by the Association of American Universities in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts. This landmark research identified what it takes to succeed in entry-level university courses. Based on the project's findings - and interviews with students, faculty, and staff - this groundbreaking book delineates the cognitive skills and subject area knowledge that college-bound students need to master in order to succeed in today's colleges and universities. These Standards for Success cover the major subject areas of English, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, second languages, and the arts.