Rural N.C. students lag in college entrance exams; six-week program helps them prepare

Rural students in North Carolina are ill-prepared for college, with 2013 SAT scores from the state's top 10 agricultural counties averaging 75 points lower than the state average, Reema Khrais reports for North Carolina Public Radio. "Students from tobacco intensive counties scored 142 points below their Wake County (Raleigh) peers and were also approximately 27 percent less likely to even attempt the exam, according to data collected by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences" at North Carolina State University.

A program at N.C. State, aided by a private $3 million endowment, aims to help the state's rural students make strides to get college-ready, Khrais writes. ASPIRE, which reaches 30 counties, is an intensive six-week experience that helps prepare students for college entrance exams. Income and lack of parent involvement are the main reasons students need the extra support, said Sam Perdue, the college's director of academic programs.

The college also has an initiative that "helps high school students who want to start their education at a state community college or another university and transfer to NCSU, Khrais writes. "Selected students participate in special activities at NCSU that support their academic development. Those who complete the program and meet certain benchmarks are promised entry to the university their sophomore year." (Read more)