We developed various retention programs to support first-year engineering students who start behind their cohort in terms of the Calculus sequence. We focused on increasing the persistence of these students via counseling along with opportunities for students to regain cohort status. Although the retention program evolved, we retained enough of…

It is well understood that postsecondary education increases lifetime earnings, yet the complexity of the college application process creates a barrier to postsecondary enrollment. This paper investigates a whole-school external application assistance program run by a nonprofit student support services organization, Career Compass of Louisiana. We…

This article presents the evaluation of a small-scale widening participation intervention delivered by a Post-92 university to further education students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The intervention aimed to provide high quality information, advice and guidance about higher education opportunities and benefits through four…

Leadership educators must demonstrate the contributions their programs make to the learning and development of students. This chapter provides an overview of assessment principles for educators to apply in their practices of mentoring, coaching, and advising.

This dissertation includes three essays that examine the potential of policies, interventions, and curricula in improving transitions to four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. The first essay provides a novel investigation of New York City's adoption of SAT School Day (SSD), which provides universal access to college entrance exams for…

We combine a large multi-site randomized control trial with administrative and survey data to demonstrate that intensive advising during high school and college leads to large increases in bachelor's degree attainment. Novel causal forest methods suggest that these increases are driven primarily by improvements in the quality of initial…

California community colleges make higher education accessible for all; however, nearly half its students fail to achieve their goal of degree completion. Based upon the recommendations of the Student Success Task Force, the California legislature passed the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, requiring that all incoming community…

Growing experimental evidence demonstrates that low-touch informational, nudge, and virtual advising interventions are ineffective at improving postsecondary educational outcomes for economically-disadvantaged students at scale. Intensive in-person college advising programs are a considerably higher-touch and more resource intensive strategy; some…

Student success in postsecondary education depends on academic preparation and on having the nonacademic knowledge, skills, and behaviors to successfully navigate the demands of postsecondary study. While nonacademic competencies are important for all students, rural and high-poverty populations face unique nonacademic challenges, such as access…

This applied dissertation was designed to determine the effectiveness of a college access program created to improve college application and acceptance rates for underserved students. The program is targeted toward low-income, first-generation students, many of whom are minorities and reside in a rural area. The schools that the students attended…

Pre-college advising programs exist in most disadvantaged high schools throughout the United States. These programs supplement traditional advising by high school guidance counselors and attempt to help underrepresented and disadvantaged students overcome the complexities of the postsecondary admission and financial aid processes. Existing…

"Find the Fit" advising increased the number and selectivity of colleges applied to by disadvantaged students in a federal college access program. "Find the Fit" includes customized information about college going and costs, text messaging of key application and financial aid deadlines, and related advisor training. These…

Where students go to college, not just whether they go, may be important to their educational and career success. Yet half of high school students from disadvantaged families "undermatch"--they do not enroll in college at all or not at the most selective college they could. The U.S. Department of Education tested a set of promising,…

"Bottom Line" provides intensive advising for low-income high school students, most of whom are the first in their family to go to college. The advising is designed to help students apply for college and financial aid and select a high-quality, affordable institution. For students who attend one of "Bottom Line's" target…

"Bottom Line" provides intensive advising for low-income high school students, most of whom are the first in their family to go to college. The advising is designed to help students apply for college and financial aid and select a high-quality, affordable institution. For students who attend one of "Bottom Line's" target…