Population: Children and Schools

Students Experiencing Academic Struggles

MDRC examines programs that help students experiencing struggles through “catch-up” classes, tutoring and mentoring, supplementary literacy classes, classes designed to respond to educational gaps that result from historical and systemic under-resourcing, and case management and “high-intensity” supports for children with the greatest challenges.

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Brief

Lessons from the Dana Center’s Corequisite Research Design Collaborative Study

Research shows that corequisite remediation—which enrolls students who have been designated as underprepared into college-level courses and provides simultaneous remedial support—leads to improved student outcomes. This brief describes the implementation of corequisite course models at four colleges in Minnesota and Texas.

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Brief

From Degrees to Dollars

U.S. community colleges—which disproportionately serve students from low-income backgrounds—have very low graduation rates. In response, three Ohio community colleges implemented programs based on the City University of New York’s successful Accelerated Study in Associate Programs. After six years, the programs had a positive impact on graduation and earnings.

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Key Documents

Report

Staying on Course

Three-Year Results of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Evaluation

After three years, participants in National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, an intensive, “quasi-military” residential program for high school dropouts, are more likely than their control group counterparts to have obtained a GED or high school diploma, to have earned college credits, and to be working. Their earnings are also 20 percent higher.

Making Progress Toward Graduation

Evidence from the Talent Development High School Model

Talent Development, a high school reform initiative, produced substantial positive effects on attendance, academic course credits earned, tenth-grade promotion, and algebra pass rates for students in very low-performing schools in Philadelphia.

New Pathways to Careers and College

Examples, Evidence, and Prospects

High school reform is increasingly focused on the role of career-technical education (CTE) in preparing all students for success in both college and career. Instead of stand-alone vocational courses, programs that merge CTE, rigorous academics, and career exploration are gaining momentum, but schools need resources and training to implement them.

College Completion Fund Project Focus Area: Developmental Education Financial Aid Institutional Reform Student Services Instruction and Curricula Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes	An Experienced School Support Organization at Scale: A Study of The Urban Assembly Network Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	Applying the Evidence in a Higher Education System Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Developmental Education Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid Locations: Minnesota
Rural Higher Education Initiative Focus Area: Institutional Reform Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid	City Year Evaluation Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Classroom Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: California, Florida, New York, Texas	The Higher Education Randomized Controlled Trial Focus Area: Developmental Education Instruction and Curricula Student Services Financial Aid Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington
Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS) Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Financial Incentives Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: California, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio	College Promise Success Initiative Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: California, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island	Next Generation California Partnership Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Learning Communities, Career & Technical Education Locations: California
Detroit Promise Path Focus Area: Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Financial Aid Locations: Michigan	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	Evaluating Replications of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Focus Area: Developmental Education Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: New York, Ohio
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Focus Area: Youth Employment After-School/Out-of-School Time Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York	Strengthening Nonprofit Financial Management Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Illinois	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	PACE Center for Girls Focus Area: Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Youth and Juvenile Justice Elementary and Middle School High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Classroom Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: Florida	Communities In Schools Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Student Services, Case Management, Counseling/Advising Locations: North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas
Response to Intervention (RtI) Programs for Struggling Elementary Readers Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Reading Instruction	New York City Small Schools of Choice Evaluation Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: New York	Evaluation of Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for Developmental Education Students Focus Area: Developmental Education Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Tutoring, Learning Communities, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: New York
Diplomas Now Focus Area: High School Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Comprehensive School Reform, Case Management, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Dist. of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas	Evaluation of Ninth Grade Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida	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

GED 21st Century Learning Pathways Pilots Focus Area: Instruction and Curricula Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, GED Completion Locations: New York	Social Impact Bond Project at Rikers Island Focus Area: Youth and Juvenile Justice Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Corrections and Reentry Population: Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Classroom Services, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Locations: New York	Completion by Design Evaluation Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Locations: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio
Career Academies: Exploring College and Career Options (ECCO) Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: California, Florida, Georgia	Scaling Up First Things First Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas	Evaluation of Academic Instruction in After-School Programs Focus Area: After-School/Out-of-School Time Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Reading Instruction Locations: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin
The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia

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Students Experiencing Academic Struggles

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