About MDRC
Weissman has over 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 primarily in postsecondary education, illuminating ways to improve college access, persistence, and success for low-income and underprepared students. Weissman’s current and recent projects focus on financial aid reform, improving students’ employability skills, strengthening student success services, and improving offerings for students assessed as needing developmental (remedial) education. 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
Issue FocusThe College Promise Success Initiative
January, 2020More than 300 College Promise Programs nationwide are transforming perceptions about college affordability and access while increasing rates of enrollment and completion. Participants in MDRC’s College Promise Success Initiative (CPSI) share their insights on effectively designing College Promise programs that make equity a central principle in serving students.
ReportFinal Report on Aid Like A Paycheck
May, 2019This study, implemented at two community college systems in Texas and one in California, tested whether biweekly disbursements of financial aid rather than lump sum payments could help students budget more efficiently and improve their academic and financial outcomes. Overall, this approach did not have substantial impacts on student outcomes.
ReportInterim 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.
BriefIncremental 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.
ReportA 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.
ReportImpact 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.
ReportAn 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.
ReportImpact 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.
ReportLessons 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
MDRC’s College Promise Success Initiative provided technical assistance to College Promise and Free College programs interested in promoting success in college by implementing evidence-based student support...
Twenty-first-century skills (also known as noncognitive, employability, or soft skills) are increasingly viewed as essential for favorable outcomes in both education and employment. Yet employers consistently report that these abilities — such as working well with a team, problem solving, and thriving in diverse work settings — are lacking in their employees and job...
Alexander Mayer, Elena Serna-Wallender, David Navarro, Caitlin Anzelone, Evan Weissman, Dan Cullinan, Ashley WilsonThe 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. Building on this promising research, the Text Ed project will develop and test a strategic text messaging intervention at Educational Opportunity Centers (...
Alexander Mayer, Elizabeth Zachry Rutschow, Dan Cullinan, Evan Weissman, Michael J. Weiss, 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-Wallender, Susan Sepanik, Dorota BiedzioAs 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. Dana Center at the University of...
Can existing financial aid programs do more to help low-income college students achieve academic success? MDRC is conducting a large-scale evaluation of Aid Like A Paycheck, a new program based on a simple yet potentially transformative idea: After the college receives payment for tuition and fees, disburse remaining financial aid to students...
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. Several programs are widely disseminated in the United States, with different programs focusing on slightly different...
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. Among community college students, enrollment in developmental education doubles to about...
Oscar Cerna, Dan Cullinan, Alexander Mayer, Michelle Ware, Michael J. Weiss, Evan Weissman, Alyssa Ratledge, Jedediah TeresA 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. Finding ways to increase the rates of...
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. Research suggests that high-quality student support services may...