Established by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR) focuses on measuring the effectiveness of programs designed to help students make the transition to college and master basic skills needed to advance to a degree. While colleges employ multiple programs and policies designed to give students the skills they need to succeed, there is little definitive research on the effects of some widely-used practices. NCPR aims to use the most rigorous research methodologies possible, including random assignment experimental design, to evaluate such practices.
A major NCPR study on learning communities is now underway. Learning communities are a popular strategy that community colleges nationwide have embraced in support of developmental students. In a learning community, a cohort of students takes two or more courses linked by integrated themes and assignments that are developed through ongoing faculty collaboration. Led by researchers from MDRC, the NCPR study involves evaluating learning communities for students in need of remediation at six community colleges around the country. The sites include a wide range of learning community models, with some focused on developmental math, others focused on developmental English or reading, and one with a career focus. These courses are linked with student success courses, other developmental courses, and college content courses in different configurations across the sites.
Transcript-level data will be used to evaluate the impact of assigning students to a learning community, using the following outcome measures: registration for any courses; number of courses attempted (regular and developmental); number of courses passed (regular and developmental); course withdrawals; English and/or math test scores; total semesters enrolled; total credits earned; GPA; course-level information, including course title and possible credits; major; degrees or certificates awarded; and transfer to other postsecondary institutions. A paper summarizing previous research on learning communities and describing the design of this study, The Learning Communities Demonstration: Rationale, Sites, and Research Design by Mary G. Visher, Heather Wathington, Lashawn Richburg-Hayes, and Emily Schneider, is now available. (All NCPR publications are available on the NCPR website at http://www.postsecondaryresearch.org/index.html?Id=Publications&Info=NCPR+Publications)
NCPR researchers are engaged in a number of other studies, including an evaluation of the effects of developmental education on postsecondary outcomes using a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity design, which is being conducted by Juan Carlos Calcagno of Mathematica Policy Research and Bridget Terry Long of Harvard University (see The Impact of Postsecondary Remediation Using a Regression Discontinuity Approach: Addressing Endogenous Sorting and Noncompliance). Dr. Long has also authored a comprehensive review of research findings about the effects of financial aid on college access, titled What Is Known About The Impact of Financial Aid? Implications for Policy.
Building on
a project that began at the Community College Research Center, NCPR researchers
are also conducting quantitative analyses of dual enrollment. The original
project (see The
Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual Enrollment: An Analysis of
Student Outcomes in Two States by Karp et al., 2007) found a positive correlation between participation in dual
enrollment and postsecondary outcomes. Using more data and different
statistical techniques, NCPR researchers will estimate the strength of the
causal relationship between dual enrollment and those outcomes.
The Institute of Educational Sciences also provides partial support for an ongoing NCPR-related project, called the H&R Block FAFSA experiment, that is co-led by Dr. Long. This project, being undertaken in North Carolina, provides an intervention that streamlines both the aid application process and students’ access to accurate and personalized higher education information. Using a random assignment research design, H&R Block tax professionals help a group of eligible low- to middle-income families complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). Then, families are immediately given an estimate of their eligibility for federal and state financial aid as well as information about local postsecondary education options. To track the impact of this intervention, the project data will be linked with college administrative files to determine which individuals elect to enroll and persist in higher education.
The study will answer key questions about the importance of information and financial barriers in college access and persistence. The researchers also aim to provide concrete examples of ways to improve college access for low-income students and to increase the effectiveness of financial aid policies.
NCPR is also exploring the possibility of conducting a random assignment evaluation of a summer bridge program that provides intensive developmental education services to students with weak academic skills during the summer before they begin college.
NCPR is committed to working closely
with policymakers and practitioners to use the results of our research to help
strengthen the performance of institutions of higher education. Therefore, our
results, conclusions, and recommendations will be disseminated in print and
electronic form and will be aimed at both practitioner and academic audiences. NCPR and related publications are available
on the NCPR website, www.postsecondaryresearch.org.