Publications
Colleges’ Experiences Integrating Support Services for Military Veterans
This review draws from the experiences of colleges awarded the Kisco Foundation’s Kohlberg Prize to highlight the practical and philosophical challenges involved in creating integrated services for student veterans.
"I Came in Unsure of Everything": Community College Students' Shifts in Confidence
Using interview data from students at three community colleges, this paper examines shifts in confidence that students experience early in their college careers.
Leadership for Transformative Change: Lessons From Technology-Mediated Reform in Broad-Access Colleges
This study explores the influence of different types of leadership approaches on the implementation of a technology-mediated advising reform at six colleges, and assesses which types of leadership are associated with transformative organizational change.
Federal Work-Study: Past Its Prime, or Ripe for Renewal?
This Brookings report discusses what role the Federal Work-Study program might have in a modern “college completion and career readiness” agenda.
What Do Students Think of Guided Pathways?
Using interview data from first-year students at City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), this brief describes students’ reactions to important components of CCC’s recent guided pathways reform efforts.
Is It Really Cheaper to Start at a Community College? The Consequences of Inefficient Transfer for Community College Students Seeking Bachelor’s Degrees
Using data from two state systems, this paper examines whether it is more efficient for bachelor’s degree seekers to start at a two-year college.
The Need for Comprehensive Reform: From Access to Completion
This chapter argues that substantially increasing college completion rates requires comprehensive institutional reform with a focus on measurable student success, an intentional and cohesive package of programmatic components, and a culture of evidence.
Lessons From the End of Free College in England
This report examines the consequences of ending free college in England, and considers what lessons may be drawn for the U.S. policy conversation.
Undergraduate Financial Aid in the United States
This paper provides an overview of undergraduate financial aid to inform discussions of the future of undergraduate education in the United States and the role of financial aid within it.
Stackable Credentials: Awards for the Future?
This paper addresses empirical challenges in identifying stackable credentials, distinguishes three types of stackable awards, and estimates the number of persons who earn such awards. It then discusses the utility of these awards in meeting labor market demands and needs of students.
Implementing Guided Pathways: Early Insights From the AACC Pathways Colleges
This report provides insight into how colleges are planning and implementing “guided pathways” reforms based on the early work of 30 colleges participating in the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Pathways Project.
Model Specifications for Estimating Labor Market Returns to Associate Degrees: How Robust Are Fixed Effects Estimates?
This CAPSEE working paper reviews results from fixed effects models of the earnings gains from completing an associate degree and compares them with ordinary least squares model estimates.
CCRC Currents 2017
In CCRC's 2017 newsletter, Director Thomas Bailey discusses how CAPSEE research has contributed to the understanding of the value of investing in a college education.
Performance Requirements in Need-Based Aid: What Roles Do They Serve, and Do They Work?
Based on recent CAPSEE studies in two states, this brief discusses the motivations for satisfactory academic progress requirements for federal aid, examines how community college students are affected, and assesses the implications for program efficiency and equity.
The Labor Market Returns to Sub-Baccalaureate College: A Review
This CAPSEE working paper and accompanying brief review recent evidence from eight states on the labor market returns to credit accumulation, certificates, and associate degrees from community colleges using large-scale, statewide administrative datasets.
Does the Federal Work-Study Program Really Work—and for Whom?
This brief discusses current research, including CAPSEE analysis, regarding both the effectiveness of the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program and its equity in terms of the distribution of funds.
The Impact of Pell Grant Eligibility on Community College Students’ Financial Aid Packages, Labor Supply, and Academic Outcomes
Using an administrative data set from one state, this paper examines the effects of receiving a modest Pell Grant on financial aid packages, labor supply while in school, and academic outcomes for community college students.
What We Know About Technology-Mediated Advising Reform
This practitioner packet summarizes CCRC’s research on technology-mediated advising reform and discusses how institutions are attempting to transform advising systems so that they can support a more intensive and personalized case-management model.
Computer-Mediated Developmental Math Courses in Tennessee High Schools and Community Colleges: An Exploration of the Consequences of Institutional Context
Using site visit data from three community colleges and four high schools, this paper explores how the institutional context of the high schools compared with that of the colleges in ways that may have affected the implementation and efficacy of computer-mediated mathematics.
Early Momentum Metrics: Why They Matter for College Improvement
In this brief, the authors propose three measures of early academic momentum that colleges can use to gauge whether institutional reforms are improving student outcomes.