Improving Baltimore Students’ Access to College - A Qualitative Study of Two College Bound Delivery Models

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Improving Baltimore Students’ Access to College presents a qualitative study of two college access support models implemented in Baltimore City Schools. Launched in 2016-17 by the College Bound Foundation, the initiative included a “roving” college access professional serving multiple high schools and a second professional serving a single high school. The study examines how the two professionals’ roles, shared knowledge and skills, and systemic supports contributed to students’ successful completion of college access tasks, and what school organizational factors moderated these supports.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages45

Reading Time1 h 53 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Background

Methods and Framework

Results

What were the roles of the two CAPs?

What were the characteristics of their schools?

What types of specialized knowledge and skills did CAPs share with students?

How was support provided systemically?

How were the supports CAPs provided moderated by school organizational factors?

Summary and Recommendations

References

Appendix A. CAP Shadowing Protocol

Appendix B. CAP Interview Protocol

Improving Baltimore Students’Access to College: A Qualitative Study of Two College Bound Delivery Models Rachel E. Durham April 2018 BERC Executive Committee Diane Bell-McKoy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Associated Black Charities Sean L. Conley, Chief Academic Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools Faith Connolly, Ph.D., Executive Director, Baltimore Education Research Consortium Rebecca Dineen, Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Maternal & Child Health, Baltimore City Health Department J. Howard Henderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Greater Baltimore Urban League Theresa Jones, Chief Achievement and Accountability Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools Philip Leaf, Ph.D. , Director, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, and Senior Associate Director, Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute Bonnie Legro, Senior Program Officer, The Abell Foundation (ex-officio) Glenda Prime, Ph.D. , Chair, Department of Advanced Study, Leadership, and Policy, Morgan State University Sonja Brookins Santelises, Ed.D., Chief Executive Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools Acknowledgements We thank the Weinberg Foundation for support to evaluate these programs. The author also extends her deep gratitude to the college access professionals featured in this study for their time, willingness to share, and valuable assistance. She also thanks Jeff Grigg, Shane Hall, Daniel Heller, Martha Abele Mac Iver, and Marc Stein for constructive feedback on this report. Suggested Citation Durham, R.E. (201 8) . Improving Baltimore Students’ Access to College: A Qualitative Study of Two College Bound Delivery Models. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium. Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................... iv Background ..................................................................................................... 1 Methods and Framework .............................................................................. 4 Results................................................................................................................ 7 What were the roles of the two CAPs? ................................................. 7 What were the characteristics of their schools? ................................. 9 What types of specialized knowledge and skills did CAPs share with students? ................................................................................................. 10 How was support provided systemically? .......................................... 21 How were the supports CAPs provided moderated by school organizational factors? ......................................................................... 22 Summary and Recommendations ............................................................. 30 References ..................................................................................................... 33 Appendix A. CAP Shadowing Protocol ..................................................... 35 Appendix B. CAP Interview Protocol.......................................................... 36 Appendix C. CAPs’ Target Student Outcomes in Year 1........................ 38 List of Tables Table 1 Characteristics of Students in the Schools Served by the Study’s College Access Professionals....................................... 9 Table 2 Specialized Knowledge Shared with Students by College Access Professionals.................................................................. 11 Improving Baltimore Students’Access to College: A Qualitative Study of College Bound Foundation’s Delivery Models Executive Summary This report provides a qualitative account of the implementation of two college access support models in Baltimore City Schools. The initiative, launched in 2016-17, was developed by the College Bound Foundation and featured a ‘roving’ college

FAQs

What are the two college access delivery models studied in the report?

The report focuses on two models: a “roving” college access professional who served students in three different high schools and another professional who served students in a single entrance criteria high school.

What is the main purpose of the study?

The study describes the work of the two college access professionals in detail and highlights factors that helped them succeed.

How do the CAPs’ services support students’ college access?

The CAPs provide targeted guidance, helping students complete college and financial aid tasks, develop self-advocacy skills, and manage application deadlines through individualized support.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret