About MDRC
Weissman has nearly 20 years of experience at MDRC directing projects, providing technical assistance, conducting qualitative research, and disseminating findings in a wide range of education and social policy settings. His current work is focused primarily in the area of postsecondary education, illuminating ways to improve college access, persistence, and success for low-income and underprepared students. Weissman is currently leading Aid Like A Paycheck, a project testing the impacts of innovative changes to financial aid disbursements. His work on developmental education includes helping to launch an evaluation of developmental math pathways as part of the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness, and having played a vital role in the National Center for Postsecondary Research, working on the Learning Communities Demonstration and the Texas Developmental Summer Bridge Study. Weissman has also provided technical assistance, designed and launched evaluations, and conducted qualitative research in a range of other social policy areas, including early childhood education, maternal and infant well-being, job training and parenting programs for noncustodial parents, public housing, and welfare employment programs.
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MDRC Publications
Interim Findings on Aid Like A Paycheck
June, 2017This study examines whether an alternative approach to distributing financial aid — in biweekly payments instead of one or two lump sums — can improve outcomes for low-income community college students. After one semester, the policy reduced students’ debt and use of federal loans but showed little consistent evidence of academic effects.
Incremental Aid to Promote Student Success
September, 2013Aid Like A Paycheck is based on a simple idea that is gaining national attention: after tuition and fees have been paid to a college, disburse the remaining financial aid to students evenly throughout the term — like a paycheck. This brief describes successful pilot tests at two colleges and discusses policy implications.
A Synthesis of Findings from Six Community Colleges
July, 2012This report looks at the short-term impacts of 174 one-semester learning communities for developmental students at six community colleges. On average, the programs produced a modest impact on credits earned.
Impact Studies at Merced College and The Community College of Baltimore County
February, 2012Two colleges implemented semester-long learning communities linking developmental English with a range of other courses. At Merced, learning communities students earned more developmental English credits and passed more English courses than a control group. At CCBC, there were no meaningful impacts on students’ credit attempts or progress. Neither college’s program had an impact on persistence or on cumulative credits earned.
An Implementation and Early Impacts Study of Eight Texas Developmental Summer Bridge Programs
October, 2011For entering college students with low basic skills, eight intensive summer programs provided accelerated instruction in math, reading, and/or writing; academic support; a “college knowledge” component; and the opportunity to receive a $400 stipend. Early results suggest that participants were more likely to pass entry-level college courses in math and writing.
Impact Studies at Queensborough and Houston Community Colleges
February, 2011Learning communities, which co-enroll small groups of students into linked courses, are a popular strategy for helping developmental students at community colleges succeed. This report examines the impacts of one-semester learning communities for developmental math students at Queensborough Community College and Houston Community College. At both colleges, students in learning communities attempted and passed their developmental math class at higher rates than students in a control group. However, this impact generally did not translate into increased cumulative progress in math by the end of two or three semesters.
Lessons from the SSPIRE Initiative
July, 2009This report describes how community colleges in California that participated in the Student Support Partnership Integrating Resources and Education (SSPIRE) initiative took steps to better serve low-income and underprepared students by integrating student support services with academic instruction.
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Other Publications
Weiss, Michael J., Mary G. Visher, Evan Weissman, and Heather Wathington. 2015. “The Impact of Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Education: A Synthesis of Findings from Randomized Trials at Six Community Colleges.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (January).
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Projects
Twenty-first-century skills (also known as noncognitive or soft skills) are increasingly viewed as critical for both education and employment outcomes.
Alexander Mayer, Jacklyn Willard, Elena Serna-Wallender, Amanda Grossman, David Navarro, Caitlin Anzelone, Evan Weissman, Dan CullinanThe college enrollment process is complex and includes many steps. Recent research has shown that short, action-oriented text messages can help people focus on critical tasks at the right times.
Alexander Mayer, Elizabeth Zachry Rutschow, Dan Cullinan, Evan Weissman, Michael J. Weiss, Amanda Grossman, John Diamond, Rashida WelbeckThe Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) conducts research to document current practices in developmental English and math education across the United States and to rigorously evaluate innovative assessment and instructional practices. CAPR, led by MDRC and the Community College Research Center, is funded by the federal Institute of Education Sciences.
Elizabeth Zachry Rutschow, Evan Weissman, Alexander Mayer, Amanda Grossman, John Diamond, Elena Serna-WallenderAs community colleges try to increase graduation rates, one of the greatest challenges they face is improving the success of students in their developmental, or remedial, education programs. The Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP), formerly known as the New Mathways Project, was developed by the Charles A.
Can existing financial aid programs do more to help low-income college students achieve academic success?
Too many students enter college without sufficient skills in English and math to succeed — which forces them to take developmental (or remedial) education courses. Across the nation, roughly 30 percent of entering freshman students enroll in developmental math or English courses.
Home visiting has grown in recent decades as a strategy for providing preventive services to families with young children. Federal, state, local, and private funders have supported programs operating in thousands of communities around the country.
Mary Visher, Oscar Cerna, Dan Cullinan, Alexander Mayer, Michelle Ware, Michael J. Weiss, Evan Weissman, Amanda Grossman, Alyssa RatledgeA postsecondary credential has become increasingly important in the labor market, and college attendance has grown. Unfortunately, college completion remains less common, particularly in community colleges, which serve many low-income and academically underprepared students who often need remedial (developmental) courses.
Reflecting the growing importance of a postsecondary credential in the labor market, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers are increasingly concerned with improving poor rates of college completion, particularly among low-income and traditionally underserved students enrolled in community colleges.