There is a large and long-standing gap in education outcomes between pupils from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers in England (EEF, 2018; Hutchinson et al., 2020). Although there is some evidence of improvement since 2011, the gap has widened recently, largely as a result of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic…

We contribute to the higher education returns discourse by examining perceptions among college graduates. Using 2021 U.S. Survey of Household Economics of Decisionmaking data, we observe that over 80% of degree holders perceive that they received positive financial returns from college, while only 7% of college degree holders regret their decision…

As the cost of living continues to increase over time, many Americans are placing greater scrutiny on the financial choices they make. An area for such evaluation is if the outcomes of going to college continue to be worth the cost. One underrepresented group, first-generation college students (FGCS), is less likely than non-FGCS to attend and…

While the Pell Grant covers a substantial proportion of college tuition for low-income students, it has covered only two full-time semesters per year and has not included any support for summer courses through most of its history. As research has shown that continuous enrollment throughout the year increases college persistence and completion, the…

The persistently high employment share of the informal sector makes entrepreneurship a necessity for youth in many developing countries. We exploit exogenous variation in the implementation of Rwanda's entrepreneurship education reform in secondary schools to evaluate its effect on student economic outcomes up to three years after graduation.…

Education is crucial for the cultivation of successful individuals, healthy communities, robust societies, strong economies, and a healing planet. Yet, while most available education measures show impressive improvement in access in low- and middle-income countries over recent decades, there remains a heartbreaking gap in educational outcomes…

This sequential mixed methods study evaluated the impact of the Chicago Parent Program (CPP) in 12 Baltimore Title I PreK programs on parent engagement and student outcomes from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Phase 1 (quasi-experiment; N = 11,996) compared PreK students whose parents enrolled in CPP with those whose parents did not enroll in CPP…

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are commonly used in undergraduate introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, and substantial evidence supports the use of student-created questions to promote learning. However, research on student-created MCQ exams as an assessment method is more limited, and no studies have…

This study aimed to (a) identify mentoring quality profiles based on characteristics of informal mentoring relationships, (b) examine how mentor and youth demographic characteristics were related to the profiles, and (c) investigate whether the profiles were related to youth's academic outcomes. Participants were 411 ninth-grade urban, low-income…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to evaluate the learning outcomes of academic advising, particularly for low income, minority, and first-generation students, as well as how those outcomes relate to persistence. The learning outcomes tool is designed for broad use; it was designed through the same rigorous process as health outcomes…

Recently, multiple studies have focused on the phenomenon of "undermatching"--when students attend a college for which they are overqualified, as measured by test scores and grades. The extant literature suggests that students who undermatch fail to maximize their potential. However, gaps remain in our knowledge about how student…

High-performing first-generation and economically disadvantaged students are more likely to attend colleges and universities that are less competitive than their academic qualifications allow, which makes them less likely to graduate. EMERGE is a multiyear, personalized college advising program that aims to address this problem by preparing…

Undergraduate marketing degrees have been shown to have the same impact on post-graduation income for marketing jobs as non-marketing undergraduate degrees for similar marketing jobs. Moreover, having a marketing degree has been shown to not impact long-term career satisfaction. However, previous research has not accounted for the possible…

The College and Career Readiness and College Completion Act (CCR-CCA) of 2013 (Chapter 533, Senate Bill 740, 2013) passed the Maryland General Assembly in 2013 with the goal of improving college and career outcomes for Maryland students. One policy included in the legislation was a tuition cost reduction for select high school students who dually…

Current accountability in higher education is primarily focused on equality--the application of the same metrics to all schools no matter whom they enroll. But an accountability system that judges schools only on former students' earnings outcomes will reward schools with certain demographic profiles over others--in the context of this report,…