Effective College Access, Persistence and Completion Programs, and

Strategies for Underrepresented Student Populations

Terry E. SpradlinDavid J. Rutkowski

Nathan A. BurroughsJustin R. Lang

June 11, 2010

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About the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy

• The Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) is a

client-focused, self-funded research center associated with the School of Education at Indiana University

• CEEP provides a wide range of evaluation and nonpartisan policy research services to policymakers, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations

• CEEP is continually looking for new opportunities to help inform, influence, and shape the development of P-16 education policy not only in Indiana, but across the nation

The Challenge: College Completion Overview

• College access has improved dramatically nationwide, and in Indiana alone the college-continuation rate has increased from 33% in 1986 to 63% today

• However, strategies to improve college persistence and completion within the state have not been as successful– 33% of full-time bachelor’s students graduate within 4

years– 55% graduate “on time,” or within 6 years– Less than 30% of associate’s students graduate “on time,”

or within 6 years– Degree attainment varies greatly by race

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21st Century Scholars

• Over 60% are first-generation students• 40% of Scholars are minority students• Average family income is 58% less than the average FAFSA

filer• Scholars are much more likely to attend college than other

Pell Grant-eligible students (the most appropriate comparison group)

• However, persistence and completion rates for Scholars are statistically indistinguishable from the Pell Grant-eligible group

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Objectives of Research

• Examine existing research on outcomes of programs designed to increase higher education success of underrepresented student populations

• Identify effective programs and/or strategies for replication or scaling up

• Take an inventory of existing retention and persistence initiatives currently in use at Indiana institutions

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Overview of Discussion on Advancing the “Access to Completion” Agenda

• Literature review of studies and papers dealing with college persistence factors and effects

• State policy review• Overview of effective campus-based retention programs• Overview of retention programs in use on Indiana campuses• Conclusions and Recommendations

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Literature Review

• Some sources have referred to college persistence as the most highly-researched topic in American higher education

• Despite the attention, there are very few high-quality studies on the topic, and the literature notes this dearth of data– Most information is anecdotal or qualitative in nature– Existing quantitative data generally uses weak controls

• Reasons for this paradox include: – ethical issues encountered in performing a random studies

with real students– logistical difficulties of studying multiple campuses over a

wide area

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Literature Review

• The two primary models of student attrition both take into account academic and non-academic factors

• Academic preparation is one of few agreed-upon variables– Important to achieve a “match” between the level of

commitment and ability and institutional rigor– High School GPA appears to be strongest predictor of

degree completion– First semester freshman GPA appears to be strongest

factor in persistence to sophomore year

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Literature Review

• However, some researchers posit that 75% of all dropout decisions are non-academic in nature, and three “lenses” have appeared through which persistence can be viewed– Financial factors– Psychological factors– Institutional factors

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Literature Review - Financial

• Need-based aid has no effect on GPA or retention for underrepresented students– When controlling for various factors, aid awards appear to

increase persistence for wealthier students• Financial issues go well beyond tuition and include books,

housing, food, and a myriad of other factors that financial aid packages rarely cover in any meaningful way– Many students find they have to work part-time

• Students indicate that employment is a major academic impediment, and several studies have reported a negative retention effect associated with a part-time job

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Literature Review - Psychological

• Multiple studies identified a need for underrepresented students, especially African-Americans, to feel a sense of “fit” on campus

• This need is difficult to measure objectively– Attendance with existing friends– Customized orientation or interaction programs– Noticeable minority population

• Campus engagement correlates strongly with retention• Family support or “cultural capital” is important• Family responsibilities, such as dependents or siblings,

interfere with academic success11

Literature Review - Institutional

• Mentoring Programs– The efficacy of these programs appears weak, but there

are successful successes like Purdue’s HORIZONS program– The existing research is fairly thin

• Learning Communities– Consists of groups of students who attend scheduled

classes and structured social events together– Includes both residential and non-residential communities– The existing research is very thin, with no major studies

focusing on retention effects– Results are contradictory

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Literature Review - Institutional

• Faculty-Student Interaction– Studies have noted a possible positive effect, especially for

African-Americans.– More research is needed on this lever, however.

• Transition and Orientation Programs– This category is the only group with a large amount of

research demonstrating a positive effect.– Students indicate programs are critical to their success.

• Advising– Targeted advising for at-risk groups and freshmen is

frequently reported as desirable by all students.13

State Policy Review - Access

• The Federal government and most states have implemented a number of strategies and programs to improve college access.

• Fourteen states have scholarship programs for underrepresented students to pay all or a portion of in-state tuition expenses. Such programs have become popular methods to increase enrollment.– Selection Criteria– Retention Standards– Award Amounts– Number or Recipients– State Cost

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State Policy Review - Completion

• Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count– Table 1 on page 18 of report

• Program includes 16 states and over 100 institutions, with the following goals:– A clear public policy commitment– Data-driven accountability systems– Aligned expectations, standards, assessments, and

transition requirements across all levels– Incentives for improving services to academically-

underprepared students– Financial aid and other incentives to promote persistence

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State Policy Review - Completion

• Complete College America– Table 2 on page 21 of report

• National nonprofit consisting of 19 “alliance states” with the following member requirements:– Firm, clear completion goals– Development of action plans and moving key policy levers– Collecting and reporting of common measures of progress

• The program recommends that states use consistent data and measures, including common metrics; benchmarks for completion, job placement, and earnings; and disaggregated data accounting for degree type, race, age, etc.

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State Policy Review

• A recent development in many states is the use of institutional financial incentives to encourage completion:– Credit-completion growth incentives– Degree growth incentives– On-time graduation rate incentives– Transfer incentives– Premium low-income

• Table 3 on page 23 of report

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Campus-Based Retention Programs

• In a review of 45 institutions with evidence of retention improvements, several common program types emerged:– Counseling and mentoring programs (75% of programs)– Freshman-specific programming (38%)– Transition/orientation programs and early-warning

tracking systems (29%)– Learning communities (27%)– Student-faculty interaction programs and additional

academic support (24%)• Table 4 on page 28 of report

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Campus-Based Retention Programs

• Observations from the national review include:– 2-year institutions have the greatest need for persistence

and retention programs but are the least likely to use the most effective strategies

– Most successful institutions employ a combination of different strategies customized to the student body

– Counseling and mentoring programs are the most common method, however the literature indicates that this method is the least effective in practice

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Campus-Based Retention Programs

• Within Indiana, a survey of 28 public and private institutions provided some enlightening findings:– All of the previously-noted methods are in use– No two campuses use the same mix– The institutions with the largest persistence issues have

the most extensive programs (IUPUI, Ivy Tech)– Additional academic support is the most common method

utilized by institutions– Learning communities are the least common approach– Dual-credit options are widely used, but are virtually

ignored in the literature

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Total Interventions 109 Counseling/Mentoring 19

Learning Communities 2

Faculty/Student Interaction 2

Transition/Orientation Programs (incl. Summer Bridge)

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Academic Support/Advising 39

Early Warning/Tracking Systems 6

Scholarships (incl. McNair) and SAAB 12

Other (incl. dual credit) 13

Overview of Retention Interventions at Indiana Institutions

Recommendations

• Indiana appears to be a leader in the formulation of policy strategies concerning college access and completion; however, there are areas of improvement to make state programs stronger

• Implement advising services targeted specifically to freshmen and at-risk groups

• Retention programs should be determined on a school-by-school basis as determined by student body need– Institutions should avoid the “laundry list” approach

• New financial aid programs are needed to deal with non-tuition costs of schooling, such as books, food, fees, etc.

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Recommendations

• Additional research should be pursued regarding the effects of family and dependent responsibilities on persistence rates

• A rigorous analysis of the effects of each retention strategy is needed with consideration for different community, student, and institution types

• Indiana policymakers should build upon the 21st Century Scholar program by increasing its scope to include completion

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