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

“What Works” for Community College Students?

What works to help community college students progress academically? This brief synthesizes 20 years of rigorous research by MDRC, presenting new evidence about key attributes of community college interventions that are positively related to larger impacts on students’ academic progress.

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Brief

Setting Up SUCCESS

This issue focus shares early implementation lessons from an evaluation of MDRC’s Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS) and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the program model. It offers lessons that could be relevant to similar programs operating in online, in-person, and hybrid environments.

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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.

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	Estimating Power for Multiple Hypothesis Tests Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools
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
Evaluation of Ninth Grade Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida	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	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	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
Evaluation of the Content Literacy Continuum Focus Area: High School Instruction and Curricula Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin	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	Completion by Design Evaluation Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Young Adults Locations: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio
Professional Development in Math Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training	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: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia

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Students Experiencing Academic Struggles

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