This paper argues that to improve completion rates, colleges must help students enter programs as soon as possible; it presents a method for measuring program entry and completion rates using transcript data.
A clustering algorithm is applied to the transcripts of a cohort of first-time students in the Washington State system in order to determine what programs of study they appear to be pursuing.
Administrative data from Washington State is used to chart the educational pathways of first-time community college students, with a focus on young, socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
Evidence from behavioral economics and psychology lends support for the idea that students are more likely to persist and succeed in programs with highly structured paths to completion.
This literature review locates the sources of challenges to academic momentum in both student characteristics as well as state and institutional practices and policies.
