Performance-based scholarships have two main goals: (1) to give students more money for college; and (2) to provide incentives for academic progress. MDRC launched the Performance-Based Scholarship (PBS) Demonstration in 2008 to evaluate the effectiveness of these scholarships in a diverse set of states, institutions, and low-income student…

One of the original purposes of student financial aid was to ensure fairer access to post-secondary education to those least able to afford it and to those traditionally underrepresented. Various federal and state programs were put in place to achieve this goal, including the federal Pell Grant and state aid programs. Yet policymakers and…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04). NPSAS:04 is a comprehensive study of financial aid among postsecondary education students in the United States and Puerto Rico that provides information on trends in financial aid and on the ways in which families pay for…

This report describes findings of a study concerned with identifying environments of support to increase the participation and success of African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, and U.S.-born Asian Americans in doctoral programs. The project found that supportive environments include: (1) aggressive and targeted recruitment efforts; (2)…

Policies and practices were identified that have led to the success of exemplary programs in adult vocational education in Ohio. Data were collected from adult vocational education personnel, students, and employers located in five exemplary planning districts. All districts had a full-time supervisor for adult programs, employed full- and…