When First-Generation Students Leave College, They Turn to Family, Not Advisors
A new report from the Community College Research Center at Columbia University found that first-generation college students who stop out overwhelmingly turn to family members rather than academic advisors or faculty when deciding to leave. Many make that choice entirely on their own.
The study, based on survey and interview data from students at four Hispanic Serving Institutions in California, reveals a structural gap: institutions are not reaching students at the moment the decision to leave is being made. When a student is weighing whether to stay enrolled, the people with the most influence are at home, not on campus.
This matters for families of high school students, too. The habits students build before college shape who they turn to during it. If your student learns now to seek out teachers, counselors, and mentors when things get difficult, they are more likely to do the same when the stakes are higher. That is one reason The Scholar's Journey emphasizes building help-seeking skills alongside academic preparation.
If your family is navigating college readiness questions, book a free consultation to talk through a plan.
Source: Community College Research Center, Columbia University, February 2026; reported via Lumina Foundation Daily News
What Your Student Should Be Doing Right Now
March is when decisions made earlier in the year start to compound. Here is where to focus, by grade level.
Third quarter grades are being finalized. If your student has a C or lower in any core subject, now is the time to address it, not May. Ask your student to identify one specific concept they do not understand, not the whole subject. Research on self-regulated learning shows that students who can name the gap close it faster than those who say "I just don't get it." Help them get specific.
The March 14 SAT is days away. If your student is registered, the most productive thing they can do this week is take one full-length practice test under timed conditions, then review only the questions they got wrong. Reviewing errors is where the learning happens. If your student is not yet registered, the May 2 SAT registration opens soon. Use March to build a study plan rather than cramming in April.
Financial aid award letters are arriving. Before you compare packages, understand what you are reading. Grants and scholarships do not require repayment. Subsidized loans defer interest while your student is enrolled. Unsubsidized loans begin accruing interest immediately. The "total aid" figure on a letter can mask significant loan debt. If any line item is unclear, ask the school's financial aid office to explain it in writing.
Jamiyah W. — SAT Verbal Mastery Bootcamp (In Progress)
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The only student in her cohort completing every assignment on schedule.
Jamiyah entered the SAT Verbal Mastery Bootcamp through a school partnership and stood out immediately. While other students in her cohort have attended sessions intermittently, Jamiyah has completed every module, attended every live session, and worked through the material between meetings.
Consistency matters more than talent in test preparation. Research on deliberate practice shows that students who engage with structured material on a regular schedule outperform those who study in bursts, regardless of starting ability. Jamiyah's trajectory reflects that principle. We will share her final results in next month's newsletter.
Interested in similar results? The SAT Verbal Mastery Bootcamp is enrolling now at scholarlyedge.learnworlds.com.
Scholarly Wordle — March Edition
Can you guess the five-letter vocabulary word in six tries? Click below to play, then email us if you solve it. The first correct response wins a shoutout in next month's newsletter!
Hint: This word means "to gather or collect; to acquire gradually."
Correct letter, correct spot Correct letter, wrong spot Not in the word
First correct answer wins a feature in the April newsletter!
Dates and Deadlines
Federal Education Programs Are Moving. Here Is What Families Should Know.
The U.S. Department of Education is transferring several core programs to other federal agencies. Education grants for school safety, community schools, and family engagement are shifting to Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency reduced staffing at the National Center for Education Statistics from nearly 100 employees to three and terminated most of its contracts.
Why this matters for Florida families: NCES is the agency that produces the data schools and states use to measure student achievement, track graduation rates, and justify funding requests. Without it functioning at capacity, the information families and policymakers rely on to evaluate school quality becomes harder to access and less current. The Lumina Foundation argues that while NCES needed improvement, the scale of the cuts has created a gap that will take deliberate effort to repair.
At the state level, these shifts create uncertainty about how federal education dollars will be administered and tracked. Families should pay attention to whether programs their schools depend on, particularly Title I and school safety grants, experience disruptions during the transition.
Sources: Education Week, February 2026; Higher Ed Dive, February 2026; Lumina Foundation, March 2026
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The Scholarly Edge provides targeted test preparation and academic support designed by education professionals who understand how students learn. Our programs combine proven strategies with personalized instruction to help students achieve their college and career goals. Founded by Stephanie DiTommaso, Ed.S., an experienced educator and curriculum designer with over 20 years in education.
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