The challenge and promise of postsecondary education is greater in a large, fast-growing, diverse state like Texas where the fastest-growing segments of the population are economically disadvantaged and come from communities historically underserved by higher education institutions. Recognizing this reality, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating…

Postsecondary education is widely seen as a necessity in the modern economy. Yet students at community colleges often face steep odds when it comes to completing a degree. Community colleges serve many low-income and first-generation students as well as students of color, all of whom must contend with many obstacles to success. At the same time,…

The growing cost of college is one of the most significant barriers to completion. However, research shows that frequent, intensive advising, combined with financial and other support, can make a tremendous difference in helping students complete. For two years, TICAS has worked with a group of rigorously evaluated organizations across the country…

Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment (DE) are the two most popular programs that allow students to earn college credits while in high school. Researchers have noted several benefits of college acceleration programs on students' postsecondary outcomes. Particularly, these programs offer the opportunity to improve college attendance rates…

"First year experience courses for students in developmental education" are designed to ease the transition to college by providing academic and social development supports. Although course content and focus may vary, most are designed to introduce students to campus resources, provide training in time management and study skills, and…

This report describes ACT's multiyear commitment to increasing the number of eligible high school students enrolled in dual enrollment programs across the nation. The report also offers four policy recommendations to expand dual enrollment programs, as well as examples of each from selected states. [The following organizations collaborated with…

Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements have existed in some form in the federal student aid programs for nearly 40 years--and have become increasingly strict--yet only limited research exists regarding their motivations and consequences. In this brief, the authors discuss two recent CAPSEE studies they conducted that examine the…

Due to rising costs and declining affordability, many students have to work while attending college. The federal government takes a major role in subsidizing the wages of college students and spent over $1 billion on the Work-Study program in 2010-11 (College Board, 2011), yet little is known about how working during the school year impacts…

We evaluate two low-cost college support programs designed to directly target insufficient study time, a common characteristic among a large fraction of undergraduates. We conduct our experiment across three distinct college-types: (i) a selective urban college campus, (ii) a less selective suburban college campus, and (iii) an online college,…

Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) has offered dual-credit programs, by law (Section 28.009, Texas Education Code, (TEC)), through which high-school students can obtain college credits or industry-recognized credentials, or certificates, or an associate degree while pursuing a high school…

Funded by an Investing in Innovation (i3) Validation grant, the Rural Innovative Schools (RIS) Project is the first widespread effort to scale up the early college model by implementing it in comprehensive high schools. This paper will present preliminary findings from the evaluation of this project. The impact study uses a quasi-experimental…

Match Beyond, launched in late 2013, offers accelerated degree programs through a pioneering approach that combines online education--provided by a partner, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)--with intensive coaching and support, including job-placement counseling. This small-scale strategy exposes the need for flexibility and personal…

Postsecondary education is widely seen as a necessity in the modern economy. Yet students at community colleges often face steep odds when it comes to completing a degree. Community colleges serve many low-income and first-generation students as well as students of color, all of whom must contend with many obstacles to success. At the same time,…

Does extra financial aid for the summer lead to gains in completion and earnings? Despite being the largest source of financial aid to low-income college students, the traditional Pell Grant has had one major limitation: if students enroll in two semesters full-time, they will not have any tuition support for the summer term of the same academic…

Regression discontinuity (RD), an "as good as randomized," research design is increasingly prominent in education research in recent years; the design gets eligible quasi-experimental designs as close as possible to experimental designs by using a stated threshold on a continuous baseline variable to assign individuals to a…