Getting Ready for College Early

A Handbook for Parents of Students in the Middle and Junior High School Years

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U.S. Department of Education

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We must make the thirteenth and fourteenth years of education--at least two years of college--just as universal in America by the 21st century as a high school education is today, and we must open the doors of college to all Americans.

--President Clinton
State of the Union Address
February 4, 1997

A Note to Parents of Middle and Junior High School-Age Youth

Getting a college education is an investment that will pay back for a lifetime: people with a college education, have better job opportunities, earn more money, and develop skills and knowledge that can never be taken away. However, what many families don't realize is that preparing for college doesn't begin during a student's junior or senior year of high school--it begins even before a student first sets foot in school, and it continues through middle school and high school. Getting ready for college means planning for the future and making some very important decisions early. This guidebook will help you and your children understand the steps you need to take during the middle and junior high school years to get ready for college.

A note of encouragement as you begin: All children in America can go to college if they work hard, take challenging courses, and have the desire to further their education. State governments, colleges, and the U.S. Department of Education (which supplies most financial aid for college students in America today) provide financial assistance to help students and families pay for college. New measures recently approved by the president and Congress will greatly expand financial aid for college for middle income, working families, and low-income families. Families also need to save for their children's college education and learn about the many kinds of financial aid.

Likewise, students need to plan ahead to take challenging courses--starting with algebra and geometry in the eighth and ninth grades--and hold themselves to the highest academic standards. This is a big job, but there is help here, too--mentors and before-and after-school programs can provide extra help. The President's proposal to give schools the opportunity to participate in an eighth grade national math test and a fourth grade reading test would also let parents know if their children are mastering the basics or if they need extra help.

We have a responsibility to our children. While they represent only 20 percent of our population, children are 100 percent of America's future. They are our greatest investment, and it's up to us to help them understand the importance of investing in themselves.

Yours sincerely,

Richard W. Riley
U.S. Secretary of Education

Credits

August 1997

U.S. Department of Education
Office of the Under Secretary
Planning and Evaluation Service
Partnership for Family Involvement in Education