Rutgers Report Examines High School Grads Who Face Barriers to Higher Education

A new Rutgers report from the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) for the New Jersey State Policy Lab explores the challenges young high school graduates face in getting assistance, support and information that can expand their sense of the educational and career goals that are possible for them.

The study, titled “Barriers to Opportunities: Reengaging COVID-disconnected College Students in Newark, NJ” is based on interviews with nearly 30 Newark youth ages 18 to 26, in addition to the local community-based organizations that work with them.

Although the study’s participants are Newark residents, the research could also apply more broadly, said Robyn Ince, executive director of NCLC, which is based at Rutgers-Newark.

“We believe that the findings are relevant across New Jersey because enrollment declines are a pervasive phenomenon in the post-COVID-19 era,’’ according to the report.

Statewide, postsecondary enrollment dropped 7 percent from the spring of 2021 to the spring of 2022. Newark’s higher education institutions experienced an even greater drop of 9 percent in undergraduate enrollment. 

As colleges and universities cope with the pandemic’s continued impact on enrollment, many high school graduates are struggling to find a path to post-secondary education or complete a degree. 

Many of the young people interviewed had considered postsecondary education but believed it was out of reach. Others viewed themselves as not “college material,’’ sometimes because they felt that their high schools focused more on supporting higher-performing students, according to the report. 

Once out of high school, where students have guidance counselors and teachers to provide encouragement and information, they find it difficult to navigate the enrollment process. Often, financial challenges require them to work full time. For some, personal circumstances, such as illness or the death of a family member, make it harder for them to attend and complete college or vocational school, according to the study.

Although there are now more statewide and community efforts to make postsecondary education accessible, they are more likely to target disconnected high schoolers, youth who have already dropped out, and those involved in the criminal justice system. 

“There isn’t yet a conversation about meaningfully connecting this distinct group to college unless they’re in a problematized state,’’ Ince said. “Often disconnected youth are connected to opportunities to gain work training. We are interested in highlighting ways to support those who may have been college-ready, who chose not to apply or dropped out of college or postsecondary programs and now want to know how to navigate the process. ’’

“This other group hasn’t been on the radar,’’ added Elisabeth Kim, co-author of the study and a researcher with the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers-Newark. She is also an assistant professor of Education and Leadership at California State University Monterey Bay. 

One goal of the report is to debunk the belief that this group of young people isn’t motivated, according to Ince. 

“These assumptions often place the reasons for disconnection and lack of engagement on the youth themselves rather than considering systemic, economic and sociopolitical barriers they face,” said Ince. 

“Many of the young people we spoke to expressed interest in pursuing college but felt that they didn’t have the necessary guidance to do so,” added Bernie Lombardi, co-author and research specialist at NCLC. Bernie Lombardi is also a Postdoctoral Associate in Africana Studies at Rutgers-Newark.

“Though the point of our engagement with the population was to conduct research and not to offer direct service, we had the opportunity to connect some of the young people with college advisors at local community-based organizations, and one youth even enrolled in college because of it,” said Lombardi.

The report makes recommendations for supporting young people after high school so that they can achieve their higher education goals. 

Among the suggestions are collecting more data on this specific population, efforts for schools and the government to collaborate more closely with community organizations, and school programs that will connect graduates with alumni and other resources.

“We must give young people a safe space that is also productive to work out what they want to do,’’ one staffer from a community organization said in the report. “Getting inspired comes at different times for people.’’