| | | Recent Publications | | Get With the Program: Accelerating Community College Students' Entry into and Completion of Programs of Study (CCRC Working Paper No. 32)This updated paper, originally released in April 2011, argues that to improve completion rates on a substantial scale, community colleges must ensure that new students enter a coherent college-level program of study as soon as possible. It presents a simple method for measuring program entry and completion rates using data on students' actual course-taking behaviors rather than declared major or intent. The paper offers research-based suggestions for ways community colleges can rethink their practices at key stages of the student experience to accelerate program entry and completion.View AbstractWhat Explains Trends in Labor Supply Among U.S. Undergraduates, 1970–2009?This NBER working paper examines working patterns among traditional-age college students from 1970–2009. Hours worked by full-time undergraduates increased until 2000, then remained stable until they dropped abruptly in 2009. This paper considers several explanations for the long-term trend of rising employment—including compositional change and rising tuition costs—and considers whether the upward trend is likely to resume when economic conditions improve.View AbstractA Contextualized Intervention for Community College
Developmental Reading and Writing Students (CCRC Working Paper No. 38)This paper provides evidence on the potential efficacy of an approach to helping students develop an important academic skill, written summarization. In two experiments, a contextualized intervention was administered to developmental reading and writing students in two community colleges. The intervention was a 10-week curricular supplement that emphasized written summarization, as well as vocabulary knowledge, question generation, reading comprehension, and persuasive writing. The findings of this study suggest that the intervention had utility for academically underprepared postsecondary students.View AbstractThe Impacts of State Performance Funding Systems on Higher Education Institutions:
Research Literature Review and Policy Recommendations (CCRC Working Paper No. 37)
Policymakers have been seeking new ways to secure improved performance from higher education institutions. One popular approach has been performance funding, which involves use of a formula to tie funding to institutional performance on specified indicators. This report reviews findings from studies on performance funding programs in a multitude of states. It discusses differences among programs, effects on colleges and on student outcomes, obstacles to effective functioning, and unintended impacts. The report provides recommendations for addressing identified problems.View Abstract | | View all publications > |
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| Did You Know | High school students can often earn free college credits through dual enrollment programs, through which they can enroll in college-level courses. While some state policies specify that students are responsible for tuition, others require that the participating institutions pay the tuition. And some states pick up the tab themselves.
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