Postsecondary education refers to any education beyond high school. It builds a strong foundation for the strength of the economy and elicits other benefits as well. For those who earn a postsecondary degree or credential, there are additional career options and more income is earned over a lifetime (American Psychological Association, 2017; United Nations Educational, 2011). In the United States, policymakers have established a postsecondary education goal, because by 2020, 65% of all jobs will require some level of postsecondary education (Bergeron & Martin, 2015). Thus, individuals should prepare for the demands future careers will require. However, because of factors such as low socioeconomic status, parental attitudes, as well as their education levels, and deficient academic readiness, access to, and persistence in higher education, there is an inherent correlation that negatively affects postsecondary educational attainment with individuals from urban centers. This poses a crisis for the economic sustainability, and citizens' viability in urban communities.
While this problem exists, there is an intentional process by which community stakeholders can convene with a common agenda, relative to a social cause. Yet, according to the literature, this purposeful convening is not successful in urban settings. Furthermore, there is a gap in the literature where it does not outline the reasons why (Henig, Riehl, Houston, Rebell, & Wolff, 2016).
The proposed research study employed a phenomenological case study to explore the process by which an eclectic group of collective leaders and stakeholders in an urban community can coalesce, mobilize, build public will, have a shared agenda, implement common measures, exercise mutual activities, and communicate collaboratively via a collective impact approach. The efforts could affect positive change, address, and lead to reform of an urban community’s social crisis, problem, and cause to remove barriers, increase postsecondary readiness, access, persistence, and educational attainment (Kania & Kramer, 2011).
The themes garnered included vision and common agenda, collaboration, support and student services, communication, and barriers. It is essential for the leaders in the local school district and community to create supportive environments for students that foster their academic abilities and provide resources for postsecondary opportunities. Thus, an education coalition, a core group of individuals, who rally and unite regarding a common cause and agenda, created programs and provided support services. To further ascertain if what they have established was effective, the education coalition created indicators to measure the objectives, ensured common and consistent communication and activities, and formed a backbone organization, to execute and continue the efforts relative to the goals in an effort to serve students and their families (Kania & Kramer, 2011).
While this study focused on how community leaders convened, with intentionality and a common agenda, to prepare students, provide opportunities, and assist in their progression through a postsecondary learning experience, other future research could contribute to an understanding from students’ and parents’ or caregivers’ perspectives about what more is needed to serve them more comprehensively via the Social Capital Theoretical Framework. Moreover, the study could inform what elements might be applicable to sustain the work of a community, education-centric coalition, and if the practices could benefit other urban municipalities in their quest to effect communitywide
reform. The findings support the notion that when a community has purposeful collaboration and offers a myriad of support services, students mitigate barriers relative to their postsecondary pursuits.