ERIC Number: ED618118
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul-15
Pages: 59
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Beyond Degrees: Longer Term Outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise. Upjohn Institute Working Paper 21-350
Hershbein, Brad J.; McMullen, Isabel; Pittelko, Brian; Timmeney, Bridget F.
W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
We estimate the effects on workforce and location outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise, a generous, place-based college scholarship. Drawing upon administrative unemployment insurance wage records merged with individual-level education data, we identify Promise effects by comparing eligible to ineligible graduates before and after the Promise's initiation. We supplement this quantitative analysis with surveys and interviews. Despite earlier research showing that the Kalamazoo Promise substantially increased degree attainment, we find little evidence that the program affected "average" earnings within 10 years of high school graduation. However, the Kalamazoo Promise may have increased the likelihood of eligible graduates having earnings, within Michigan, in the middle of the distribution. We discuss the possible role of job availability in understanding these patterns and the implications for free-tuition college programs as a workforce development tool. [The paper was co-published with MichiganWorks! Southwest. Financial support from the Kalamazoo Promise.]
Descriptors: Scholarships, Outcomes of Education, Educational Attainment, College Programs, Income, Employment Patterns, High School Graduates, Place of Residence, Program Effectiveness
W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. 300 South Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4686. Tel: 888-227-8569; Tel: 269-343-4330; Fax: 269-343-7310; Web site: http://research.upjohn.org/upjohn_publications/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Identifiers - Location: Michigan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A