ABSTRACT
Navigating their way to a college consonant with their aspirations and talents is complicated for children from low-income families. As the analyses of family engagement and student preparation illustrated, low-income families lack experiential knowledge of colleges and careers unlike families with prior college experience and knowledge of professional pathways. Gaining access to high quality, challenging courses remains a problem, as does learning about options for college. Even when students had success learning about college requirements, gaining access to and completing advanced courses, and graduating academically prepared, they can still fi nd it diffi cult to aff ord 4-year colleges. Easing concerns about college costs coupled with concerted eff orts to provide information on colleges and student aid can encourage preparation and college application. If the student is successful, the next step is to choose a specifi c college.
