MDRC’s recent evaluation of performance-based scholarships at two community colleges in Louisiana has been added to the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse. In one of its "quick reviews," the Clearinghouse describes the study as “a well-implemented randomized controlled trial” that meets its high standards of evidence.

The MDRC study, which examined a scholarship program with a counseling component, found that the mostly single mothers in the program were more likely to register full time, to persist in their studies from semester to semester, to earn higher grades and more credits, and to have better social and psychological outcomes than students in a control group. The study is part of MDRC’s Opening Doors Demonstration, which is testing the effects of enhanced student services, instructional reforms, and performance-based scholarships on community college students’ grades, retention, graduation, and other outcomes.

The What Works Clearinghouse was established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education. The Clearinghouse is administered by the Institute of Education Sciences through a contract with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.