An Evaluation of State-Level Postsecondary Planning Initiatives

A high school diploma is no longer a significant credential to find a viable career in society. Current literature suggests that by 2020 more that 60% of jobs will require a postsecondary credential from either a two or four-year college. Postsecondary planning legislation also referred to as Individual Career and Planning (ICAP) legislation has been passed in 31 states in the United States to assist students in completing high school and enrolling into a postsecondary institution. The policies across the nation vary greatly in design and implementation. This policy evaluation compares states with a post-secondary planning initiative to states that do not have a state-wide policy of that nature to determine whether the legislation in fact causes an increase in graduation rate and postsecondary enrollment. Utilizing the forbearer of guidance counseling, Frank Parsons' Vocational Counseling principles, a scale construct was designed to identify the policy strength in relation to its potential effectiveness. Using a fixed effects approach, evaluating the policies from when they started by state, the study concluded that having a policy produces an increase in graduation rates. A state with a strong policy as rated by using Parsons' Vocational Theory significantly generates an increase in the state' s high school graduation rate. However, states with a policy do not see an increase in postsecondary enrollment. In fact, in some cases, the states with a policy saw a negative impact on.