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By David T. Conley,
New England Journal of Higher Education, Spring 2008
David T. Conley, professor of educational policy and leadership in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, has said that high schools need to graduate greater numbers of young people prepared for college and careers - that those students need to be not just eligible for higher education, but prepared to achieve their goals and help their colleges function better.
In order for students to "make a successful transition to the college environment," they need to be ready.
In the spring 2008 New England Journal of Higher Education article "Rethinking College Readiness," Conley described college readiness as "the degree to which previous educational and personal experiences have equipped [students] for the expectations and demands they will encounter in college."
One of the primary aims of the article was to present a comprehensive model of college readiness, one that can highlight the gaps that exist between college-eligible and college-ready.
The author defined college readiness as built on four facets: "key cognitive strategies, key content knowledge, academic behaviors, and contextual skills and knowledge."
In order to enroll in college and succeed, Conley wrote that students need to be able to complete entry-level courses at a "level of understanding and proficiency" that will enable them to advance to the next level of courses.
A college-ready student - in that sense - would...