| dc.description.abstract | Educate Texas, our client, is a partner and key player in postsecondary education in Texas. The nonprofit seeks to improve postsecondary completion statewide. Under their mission, our capstone was charged with assessing the state of postsecondary completion in Rural Texas. Using a mixed methods approach, the capstone studied institutional, attitudinal, and academic barriers that impede rural students from pursuing and obtaining a postsecondary credential. Why should policymakers and stakeholders focus specifically on the rural student population in Texas for postsecondary enrollment and completion?
Texas ranks below the national average in postsecondary educational enrollment and completion. Texas needs to “enroll immediately 200,000 more students” to reach the national average, according to Closing the Gaps, the Texas Higher Education Coordinator Board strategic plan. Within the state, the issue also applies to rural students.
Only 26% of the most recent Texas high school graduating class tracked as a cohort ended up earning a postsecondary credential.
There are 834,000 rural K-12 students in Texas, which is 18% of the total K-12 enrollment.
Approximately 43% of the rural K-12 student population is considered low income.
With the largest population of rural students in the country, Texas has a unique opportunity to capitalize on the success of these youth completing a postsecondary credential. | en |
