Completing a program of study and earning a credential is a mark of student perseverance and success. Student completion rates can tell us how well colleges and universities support students in completing an educational program. A research study by the US Department of Education reported students who completed non-degree certificate programs had…

Based on student loan repayment rate data and college graduation rates we know that millions of young people start their lives without degrees and are financially over-leveraged. Students and families make bets on future earnings by enrolling in colleges that they cannot afford and have low probabilities of being successful. Although the value of…

This study identifies factors contributing to the success of foster care alumni (FCA) who graduate from post-secondary education (PSE), despite institutions devoting little effort to making PSE accessible to FCA. Nine FCA PSE graduates were interviewed about their success. Responses were analyzed using an exploratory method to identify themes…

The State of Public Education in New Orleans (SPENO) report has evolved since its initial publication by the Cowen Institute in 2007. Originally, SPENO documented the sweeping changes to New Orleans' public education system following Hurricane Katrina, particularly the shift to a charter school dominated landscape. It also emphasized comparisons…

Postsecondary co-enrollment, or simultaneous enrollment at multiple institutions, is becoming increasingly common among U.S. college students. This descriptive analysis documented the characteristics and co-enrollment patterns of Latinx/a/o students in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (12/17). Findings of the study revealed…

"A Dream Derailed? Investigating the Causal Effects of College Closure on Student Outcomes" is the second of three planned novel reports from a collaborative research team of State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center, seeking to quantify the impacts of…

For students pursuing a postsecondary education, where they go is as important as whether they go. National College Attainment Network ("NCAN") member programs and college access programs more broadly often inform students about their likelihood of completing a degree at their prospective postsecondary destinations as part of the…

"A Dream Derailed? Investigating the Causal Effects of Student Protection Authorization Policies on Student Outcomes after College Closure" is the third and final of three reports from a collaborative research team of State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center,…

This study aimed to replicate, revise, and validate the model of Institutional Performance in Graduation Rate developed by Fung based on Tinto and Astin theories. The sample included 706 public, 4-year, Title IV postsecondary institutions in the United States. Two CFA-SEM models were conducted with the IPEDS 2011-2017 data. The relationships among…

The purpose of this study was to determine the antecedent conditions that contribute to completion of postsecondary education (PSE) for students with disabilities, taking into account institutional experiences associated with the development of social integration. A prospective longitudinal design was used to analyze data from the National…

Chapter 1 of the "Comprehensive Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education" identifies several statewide goals related to meeting the needs of students, meeting the needs of the state, meeting needs by building exemplary institutions, and meeting educational needs through partnerships and collaboration. These goals are critical to the…

Community colleges provide postsecondary education to millions of students in the United States each year, but their graduation rates are low. Many community colleges have implemented interventions to help students persist in college and earn degrees. MDRC has studied many such interventions; several of them improved students' academic outcomes,…

This report presents a broad overview of data on the education of Black students in the United States in early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary education. The data clearly show disparities in outcomes for Black students' graduation rates, test scores, course completion, and many other measures, when compared with national averages and other…

In a prior study, MDRC researchers found that Small Schools of Choice, a SIG-approved high school reform initiative, markedly and consistently increased high school graduation rates in New York City when it was implemented in 100+ high schools between 2002 and 2008. A four-year follow-up study found that the initiative increased students'…

Minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are considered models of excellence to support underrepresented racial and ethnic students; however, multiple definitions of MSIs complicate the consumption and production of research on these critical institutions. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) uses set criteria to define MSIs, based primarily on…