About MDRC
Headlam’s work at MDRC spans project management, program operations, and qualitative data collection and analysis. She currently serves as the project manager and conducts qualitative research for The Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project and contributes to implementation research for the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration. Headlam also has supported operations and implementation research for the Developmental Education Acceleration project. In addition, she coordinates MDRC’s Quality Assurance and Risk Management program. Previously, Headlam served as a college success adviser for a community-based organization. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University.
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MDRC Publications
Issue FocusMay, 2020Students navigating the COVID-19 pandemic are facing new practical and financial concerns about continuing their studies. Colleges can encourage continued enrollment and boost student success by sending well-designed messages that address those concerns, simplify information, and offer support. This Issue Focus highlights proven strategies for communicating effectively.
ReportEncouraging Additional Summer Enrollment
April, 2020The EASE project demonstrates that it is possible to increase enrollment in summer courses and help students earn more credits using an informational campaign that incorporates behavioral science principles and tuition-assistance grants. Use this handbook to customize and implement your own summer enrollment informational campaign.
ReportThree-Year Results from the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration
January, 2020This report presents findings through three years from a replication of the City University of New York Accelerated Study in Associate Programs model at three community colleges in Ohio. The Ohio programs nearly doubled degree receipt through three years and led to an increase in transfers to four-year colleges.
ReportUsing Behavioral Science to Identify Barriers to Credit Intensity and Satisfactory Academic Progress
April, 2019Taking enough credits and passing enough classes are key requirements for college success. But behavioral and institutional barriers often get in the way. A new report from MDRC shows how behavioral science can expose these barriers and help colleges move their students past the finish line to graduation.
BriefA Case Study of Lorain County Community College’s Comprehensive Student Success Program
December, 2018In 2014, Lorain County Community College launched Students Accelerating in Learning (SAIL), a comprehensive student success program that is substantially improving persistence and graduation rates among low-income students. This brief describes the steps Lorain took to fund and institutionalize SAIL that are now making it easier to sustain the program.
Working PaperOctober, 2018This paper reports outcomes for community college students who took modularized, self-paced, computer-assisted, remedial math courses with outcomes of students who took “traditional” (that is, mostly lecture-based) classes. Modularized courses were no more (or less) effective than traditional courses at helping students complete their developmental math requirements.
BriefUsing Behavioral Science to Encourage Postsecondary Summer Enrollment
July, 2018Community college students who enroll in summer courses are more likely to graduate, but most do not attend during the summer. The Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) project uses insights from behavioral science to encourage more students to enroll in summer. This brief presents EASE’s Phase I findings.
ReportInterim Findings from an Evaluation of a Computer-Assisted, Modular Approach to Developmental Math
June, 2016ModMath is a set of computer-assisted, modular courses that allow developmental (remedial) math students in community college to earn credits incrementally and move through the curriculum at their own pace. It was well implemented, and after one semester its students were closer to completing developmental math than a control group.
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Other Publications
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Projects
The Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project is a new initiative to improve community college persistence and completion in Ohio. The project will apply insights from behavioral science to design targeted messaging and financial incentives that encourage students to enroll in courses during the summer term.
In the U.S.,...
Colleen Sommo, Michael J. Weiss, Michelle Ware, Melissa Boynton, Michelle S. Manno, Alyssa Ratledge, Camielle Headlam, Christine Johnston, Rebekah O'DonoghueWhile the U.S. has made strides in increasing college access among low-income students, college completion has remained low. Graduation rates are particularly stagnant among our nation’s community colleges, which enroll a large number of low-income and nontraditional college students. For example, only 20 percent of full-time, first-time...
Even though enrollment in community colleges is steadily increasing, graduation and transfer rates remain disappointingly low. Developmental (or remedial) math is arguably the greatest stumbling block to community college completion. With multiple exit points along the way, traditional developmental math sequences can be long and may not be optimally structured to...