ERIC Number: ED520417
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 50
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Promoting Full-Time Attendance among Adults in Community College: Early Impacts from the Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration in New York
Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn; Sommo, Colleen; Welbeck, Rashida
MDRC
Many adult students struggle to finance their educations, often contending with work and child care expenses in addition to the extra cost of remedial courses. Moreover, there is little need-based grant aid to help. This report presents early findings from an evaluation of a program in New York City targeted to low-income adults (ages 22 to 35) who need remedial course work. Part of MDRC's national Performance-Based Scholarship (PBS) Demonstration, the program operated at Borough of Manhattan Community College and Hostos Community College, both part of the City University of New York, in 2008 and 2009. Participating students were eligible for either a $1,300 scholarship for two consecutive semesters (totaling up to $2,600) or for $1,300 for each of those semesters "and" one summer term (totaling up to $3,900), if they maintained at least part-time enrollment, met attendance benchmarks, and earned at least a "C" average across six credits of courses. Scholarships were paid directly to students in increments and did not supplant other aid for which students qualified. Early analyses of student transcripts for about 60 percent of the total sample suggest that the program: (1) Encouraged more full-time enrollment; and (2) Resulted in more students eligible for summer funding registering for summer courses. These findings suggest that incentive scholarships may increase full-time attendance and summer enrollment, which may, in turn, benefit low-income adults needing remediation by decreasing the time they need to earn degrees or certificates. Future reports will present impacts for the full sample on measures not covered here, including student retention, credit accumulation, graduation and transfer rates, motivation, and use of scholarship monies. Selected Characteristics of Sample Members at Baseline are appended. (Contains 6 tables, 1 figure, 2 boxes and 26 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this report was provided by the College Access Foundation of California, Foundation to Promote Open Society, Helios Education Foundation, NYC Center for Economic Opportunity, and The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services through the Ohio Board of Regents.]
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Low Income Groups, College Credits, Adult Students, Program Effectiveness, Scholarships, Remedial Instruction, School Holding Power, Academic Persistence, Graduation Rate, Transfer Rates (College), Student Motivation, Enrollment, College Attendance, Two Year College Students, Full Time Students, Student Characteristics, Grades (Scholastic), Paying for College, Demonstration Programs, Program Implementation
MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: Practitioners; Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Joyce Foundation; Kresge Foundation; Robin Hood Foundation; College Access Foundation of California; Foundation to Promote Open Society; Helios Education Foundation; NYC Center for Economic Opportunity; Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Authoring Institution: MDRC
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A