We replicate and extend prior work on Florida's Bright Futures merit aid scholarship to consider its effect on college enrollment and degree completion. We estimate causal impacts using a regression discontinuity design to exploit SAT thresholds that strongly determine eligibility. We find no positive impacts on attendance or attainment, and…

Over the past 30 years, the number of industry certificates awarded by colleges and universities has surged more than 800 percent, according to Lumina Foundation. At the same time, new forms of credentials--such as badges--also have emerged. And while there are more than 4,000 organizations granting certifications in the U.S., fewer than 10…

The concept of the associate degree is new to the Hong Kong tertiary education system. Public discussion and research have focused much on the policy and operational aspects of this tier, but empirical efforts to examine associate degree students' learning experiences and how it relates to the policy are relatively sparse. The present study…

About 30 percent of California's future jobs will require some training beyond high school but less than a four-year college degree. And in today's economy, jobs that offer family-supporting incomes often require some postsecondary education. Career education prepares students for these "middle-skill" jobs by providing occupation- and…

This protocol guides the review of research that informs the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) intervention reports in the postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) topic area. The review-specific protocol is used in conjunction with the "WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook" (version 4.0). WWC reviews in this topic area focus on…

United States' education policy efforts have focused on increasing college graduation rates, with an emphasis on bachelor's degrees, with the expectation of greater economic prosperity. Most community college and university degrees differ in time to completion and should not be viewed as having the same short-term, medium-term, and long-term…

A critical function of community college is providing students with pathways to a bachelor's degree through transfer. Although students hold high aspirations of transferring, their rates of success are extremely low. In California, policymakers have used legislation as a primary mechanism of addressing transfer inefficiencies in the state's tiered…

Objective: This study evaluates the postgraduate earnings of students with an applied baccalaureate (AB) degree compared to the earnings of students with the same associate degree but no baccalaureate degree. The research questions include the following: For those students who earn an AB degree, does it result in higher earnings than the associate…

A national conversation exists among higher education policymakers and institutions about students being underprepared for college. Some students are placed in developmental education courses, but are not successfully matriculating to college-level courses. Although developmental education courses are designed to promote academic success, they…

In 2016, Washington, D.C. passed regulations that sought to increase the education and credentials of the early educator workforce. To meet the needs of Spanish-speaking educators, leaders at the University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC) collaborated with community stakeholders and organizations, to design and implement a…

These are the appendices to the report, "Using High School Data to Predict College Success in Palau" (ED610714). Prior research, particularly for the United States, has shown that earning a community college credential increases an individual's likelihood of gaining stable employment, earning a living wage, and working in a higher-paying…

Math is an integral subject in nearly all STEM disciplines, and early exposure to advanced math coursework may encourage high school students to enter and persist in STEM fields in college. This report examines whether taking college algebra through dual enrollment affects high school graduation, college enrollment, and early STEM outcomes. I use…

Every year, BC Student Outcomes collects feedback from former students who took post-secondary programs. Student feedback is essential to maintain quality and relevance in the education system. In 2021, just over 29,500 former students were surveyed; key results from those surveys are presented here. In 2021, 92 percent of the former…

Every year, the BC Student Outcomes Program collects feedback from former students who took post-secondary programs at a participating B.C. post-secondary institution. Student feedback is essential to maintain quality and relevance in the education system. The former Diploma, Associate Degree, and Certificate students are surveyed within two years…

Diversifying the STEM workforce is a national priority, yet white males continue to dominate the ranks of professional scientists and engineers in the United States. This is partly due to disparities in academic success for women and minoritized students in prerequisite introductory STEM courses, leading to higher attrition from B.S. degree…