Choy, Susan P. 2001. <em>Students Whose Parents Did Not Go to College: Postsecondary Access, Enrollment, and Persistence</em> (NCES 2001-126). Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.<br />
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Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS: 1988/1994), the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), and the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B), Choy argues that first-generation college-going students are more likely to come from African-American or Latino families, and from families in the lowest income quartile. The likelihood that a student will enroll in some form of postsecondary education is related to parents&#8218; educational attainment. The enrollment rate is 93 percent among those whose parents had at least a bachelor&#8218;s degree, compared to 59 percent of students whose parents did not go to college. The report concludes that first-generation students report lower educational expectations, are less prepared academically, receive less support from their families in college planning, and are likely to delay enrollment even if they are accepted at a four-year institution. Choy recommends policies that create rigorous high school curricula in order to negate the disadvantages of first-generation college-going status. Although the author does not address the availability and awareness of student financial aid, she claims that improving efforts in these areas could further remove barriers to college enrollment and degree persistence.<br />
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King, Jacqueline E. 1996. <em>The Decision to Go to College: Attitudes and Experiences Associated with College Attendance Among Low-Income Students.</em> Washington, D.C.: The College Board.<br />
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	Using data from a telephone survey of 300 seniors who took the SATs and reported family incomes under $20,000, King focuses on factors that influence students to attend a four-year college. She finds that guidance from family and peers, high educational aspirations, academic self-confidence, rigorous high school coursework, and exposure to college information and counseling are associated with higher-than-average four-year college enrollment. Specifically, students who visited a high school counselor, took the PSAT, or planned to finance their education through merit or need-based grants are more likely to attend a four-year college. The likelihood of low-income students attending a four-year college is not affected by their plans to finance their education through loans. The article concludes with a recommendation to increase student access to adequate college counseling in high school and promote rigorous high school curricula.<br />
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Lee, Valerie E. and Ruth B. Ekstrom. 1987. <em>Student Access to Guidance Counseling in High School.</em> American Educational Research Journal 24(2): 287&#8212;310.<br />
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	Using data from the first and second High School and Beyond (HS&B) surveys, the authors confirm that high school counseling is unequally distributed in schools across the country. Students from low-income and minority families and those in small schools in rural areas have less access to counseling and are more likely to be placed in nonacademic curricular tracks and to take fewer math courses. There is also an association between educational aspirations and access to career/college counseling, as students planning to attend two-year colleges receive less counseling than those planning to attend a four-year university. The study concludes that a more equitable distribution of guidance counseling should focus on making school outcomes more equitable for disadvantaged students.<br />
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Vargas, Joel H. 2004. <em>College Knowledge: Addressing Information Barriers to College.</em> The Education Resources Institute. Accessed on July 27, 2007, from http://www.teri.org/pdf/research-studies/CollegeKnowledge.pdf.<br />
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	Vargas summarizes the existing literature on the barriers that low-income, minority, and first-generation students face in attending college. Defining "college knowledge" as the information that is necessary for students to apply to and attend college, Vargas claims that college-preparatory information and guidance are major components of successfully pursuing a college education. He also argues that there is a positive correlation between students&#8218; access to high school counselors and their enrollment in college-preparatory classes. Low-income, minority, and first-generation students and their families lack basic knowledge about college and have the greatest need for intensive guidance in educational and career goals. They are more likely to have trouble connecting their future career goals and educational decisions, for example failing to take courses required for college enrollment. These students are also more likely to have the greatest anxiety about college tuition and the financial aid process. Vargas also discusses the shift toward technological innovation, which may further exclude low-income and minority groups who do not have access to computers and the internet at home. Finally, the author presents research on the existence of community-based college access programs that serve college-aspiring and qualified students from underrepresented college backgrounds. Vargas concludes that these programs are effective interventions to address the inequalities in college knowledge by providing college awareness, high-speed internet access, and help in locating financial aid for students who need these tools the most.