Population: Young Adults

College Students

MDRC runs and evaluates programs to help college students — particularly, those in community colleges — complete their degrees and credentials and overcome barriers to academic success.

The Latest

Report

Becoming College-Ready

To help City University of New York (CUNY) students referred to developmental (remedial) education, CUNY Start delays their enrollment in a degree program for one semester of intensive instruction. This report describes students’ progress through developmental education after one semester, and college enrollment in the semester thereafter.

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Report

Toward Better College Course Placement

To address underplacement, in which students who could succeed in college-level courses are directed into developmental education, community colleges have begun supplementing the typical placement test with measures like high school GPA and noncognitive assessments. This guide walks colleges through the process and pitfalls of undertaking this kind of reform.

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Key Documents

Testimony

Testimony on Opportunities to Improve Student Success in the Higher Education Act

Presented Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

On August 5, Lashawn Richburg-Hayes testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on what research evidence suggests about the best ways to improve the academic success of low-income college students.

Unlocking the Gate

What We Know About Improving Developmental Education

One of the greatest challenges that community colleges face in their efforts to increase graduation rates is improving the success of students in their developmental, or remedial, education programs. Emphasizing results from experimental and quasi-experimental studies, this literature review identifies the most promising approaches for revising the structure, curriculum, or delivery of developmental education and suggests areas for future innovations in developmental education practice and research.

Doubling Graduation Rates

Three-Year Effects of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for Developmental Education Students

The City University of New York’s comprehensive ASAP program nearly doubles the three-year graduation rate for developmental education students in community college – at a lower cost-per-degree than regular services. ASAP also increases rates of transfer to four-year colleges.

Multiple Measures Assessment Project Focus Area: Developmental Education Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education Locations: Minnesota, Wisconsin	The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Low-Income Populations Intervention: Sectoral Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Washington	Latino Academic Transfer and Institutional Degree Opportunities (LATIDO) Project Focus Area: Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising Locations: California
College Promise Success Initiative Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Low-Income Populations Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: California, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island	The Finish Line: Graduation by Design Focus Area: Institutional Reform Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	New World of Work Focus Area: Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California
Text Ed Demonstration Project Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising	Career Ready Internships Focus Area: Financial Aid Population: Young Adults Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Financial Aid, Employment Services Locations: Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin	The Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project Focus Area: Financial Aid Financial Incentives Population: Young Adults Intervention: Behavioral Interventions, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: Ohio
Detroit Promise Path Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: Michigan	Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS) Focus Area: Institutional Reform Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising Locations: California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania	Comparative Case Study of Winning Talent Dividend Cities Focus Area: Institutional Reform Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration Focus Area: Developmental Education Financial Aid Student Services Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: Ohio	GED Bridge: Strengthening the Link into College and Careers Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, GED Completion Locations: Wisconsin	The Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) Focus Area: Developmental Education Instruction and Curricula Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education
Addressing Students' Remedial Needs: The Evaluation of CUNY Start and Other Strategies Focus Area: Developmental Education Student Services Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education Locations: New York	Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Focus Area: Developmental Education Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education Locations: Texas	Developmental Education Acceleration Project Focus Area: Developmental Education Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: Texas
Aid Like A Paycheck Focus Area: Financial Aid Population: Young Adults Intervention: Financial Aid Locations: California, Illinois, Texas	Community College to Career–California Focus Area: Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Counseling/Advising Locations: California	Evaluation of Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for Developmental Education Students Focus Area: Developmental Education Financial Aid Student Services Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: New York
Opening Doors Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Developmental Education Instruction and Curricula Financial Incentives Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education Locations: California, Louisiana, New York, Ohio

Great Lakes College and Careers Pathways Partnership Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Instruction and Curricula Youth Employment Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin	Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration Focus Area: Financial Aid Financial Incentives Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Developmental Education Locations: Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio	Texas Developmental Summer Bridge Study Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Developmental Education Student Services Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Accelerated Programs Locations: Texas
Developmental Education Initiative Focus Area: Developmental Education Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Virginia	LaGuardia's GED Bridge to Health and Business Program Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary High School Dropouts Population: Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, GED Completion Locations: New York	The Getting Ready for Success Pilot Program Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Developmental Education, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs Locations: Washington
Completion by Design Evaluation Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Locations: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio	Achieving the Dream Focus Area: Developmental Education Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education Locations: Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington	Dreamkeepers and Angel Fund Emergency Financial Aid Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Financial Aid Locations: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
Learning Communities Demonstration Focus Area: Instruction and Curricula Institutional Reform Developmental Education Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Learning Communities, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education Locations: California, Florida, Maryland, New York, Texas	Student Support Partnership Integrating Resources and Education (SSPIRE) Focus Area: Institutional Reform Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Case Management, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs, Learning Communities, Student Services Locations: California

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