Research

IDRA Research Studies for San Antonio College

IDRA’s studies of a community college yielded strategies that improved its recruitment and retention of Hispanic, low-income students, and students who were the first in their families to attend college.

First-Year Experience for First-Time-in-College Students at Major Community College
For children who are the first from their families to attend college – any college – the path is a very different one than those who have others in their families who have made that journey. National studies indicate that, of those who enroll in college, many fail to graduate, and first-time-in-college (FTIC) students drop out in disproportionate numbers. In 2012, IDRA researched the FTIC experience in a major urban community college and found that the reasons for non-completion lay primarily with the dissonance and incompatibilities between the institution and the student. This article by Josie Danini Cortez, M.A., and Albert Cortez, Ph.D., presents some of the study’s key findings and recommendations for FTIC success.

Effective Higher Education Recruitment Strategies
In 2004, IDRA completed research to identify effective strategies for recruiting Hispanic and low-income students to enroll in San Antonio College. Funded through the duPont Foundation, San Antonio College commissioned IDRA to identify best practices for recruiting Hispanic and low-income students. IDRA conducted focus group and individual interviews to gather insights on what the target groups perceived to be issues, concerns, and effective strategies.The findings informed strategies that the college used to improve its recruitment of Hispanic, low-income students.

A series of three articles by Albert Cortez, Ph.D., and Josie Danini Cortez, M.A., presents the results of the study.

  • Effective Higher Education Recruitment Strategies – Findings from a Research Study of San Antonio College
  • Research Findings – Part II: Part II Effective College Recruitment Strategies
  • Research Findings – Part III: Expectations Drive Effective College Recruitment Strategies
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