Text Ed Demonstration Project

Project

Overview

Project Overview

The 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 (EOCs). One of eight federally funded TRIO programs, EOCs specifically serve low-income individuals age 19 years and older, most of whom are potential first-generation college-goers. EOCs are typically hosted at postsecondary institutions (two-year and four-year colleges) or nonprofit organizations.

This low-cost enhancement to EOC services will consist of a systematic set of automated text messages that are customized to each EOC and personalized for individual participants. Participants will receive messages that are relevant to their support needs at appropriate intervals to help keep them on track in the college enrollment process. Message topics include steps related to completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and acceptance of financial aid; college application and key preenrollment tasks and deadlines; and resources for overcoming common barriers to enrollment. The text message platform will provide an easy way to connect EOC participants with center staff members, who can answer questions and provide further assistance.

The Text Ed Demonstration Project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.

STATUS: Current

Basics

Issue: Higher Education

Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary, Student Services

Population: Young Adults

Focus Population: College Students

Intervention: Student Services, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising

Agenda, Scope, <br> & Goals

Agenda, Scope, and Goals

MDRC, in partnership with Dr. Lindsay Page from the University of Pittsburgh, will design, implement, and evaluate a text messaging intervention to help increase postsecondary enrollment and financial aid application completion rates for low-income adults participating at Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs). EOC grantees will participate in the demonstration from spring 2018 through spring 2020.

The study seeks to determine the impact of this low-cost text messaging intervention by answering the following questions:

Does providing personalized messages to EOC participants increase Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates and college enrollment rates?
To what extent does the effectiveness of messaging vary across EOC grantees and client subgroups?

The study will answer the following implementation research questions:

What are EOCs’ and participants’ experiences with the text messaging? For instance, how often do participants receive automated text messages? How often do participants respond by sending text messages back to their EOC? To what extent do EOC staff members provide individualized text message responses to incoming participant messages?

STATUS: Current

Basics

Issue: Higher Education

Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary, Student Services

Population: Young Adults

Focus Population: College Students

Intervention: Student Services, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising

Design, Sites, & <br> Data Sources

Design, Sites, and Data Sources

Site selection/inclusive characteristics

Drawing from a national population of 150 Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs), the study team aims to recruit a sample of approximately 20 EOC grantees and 6,000 EOC participants. The study team aims to have a sample of EOCs that reflects their national diversity in two key dimensions: geographic region and host institution type.

Design

The Text Ed Demonstration Project is an individual-level random assignment study. At participating EOC sites, individual participants will be randomly assigned to either the treatment group (text messaging intervention) or the control group (“business as usual” EOC services without the text messaging intervention). The text messaging intervention will be limited to new EOC participants who have a high school diploma or equivalent and intend to enroll in college by fall 2020. EOC participants will enter the intervention on a rolling basis as they begin their engagement with the EOC.

Data collection will include participant intake forms, text messaging records from the messaging provider, student financial aid data from the Department of Education’s Office of Financial Student Aid, and enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse.

STATUS: Current

Basics

Issue: Higher Education

Focus Area: Transition to Postsecondary, Student Services

Population: Young Adults

Focus Population: College Students

Intervention: Student Services, Behavioral Interventions, Counseling/Advising

Funders & <br />Partners

Funders

Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

Partners

Dr. Lindsay Page, University of Pittsburgh

MDRC Staff

Alexander Mayer
Director, Postsecondary Education
Mayer is Director for MDRC’s Postsecondary Education policy area. He directs research studies, develops new projects, and conducts outreach to policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders.
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David Navarro
Research Associate, Youth Development, Criminal Justice, and Employment
Navarro, a research associate in MDRC’s California office, has over 31 years of experience as an information services and operations liaison for over 60 sites, covering 21 evaluations and demonstrations of innovative programs to help low-income people become self-sufficient.
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Caitlin Anzelone
Director, MDRC Center for Applied Behavioral Science
Anzelone directs MDRC’s Center for Applied Behavioral Science, where she leads studies that apply behavioral insights and human-centered design to improve outcomes that reduce poverty.
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Dan Cullinan
Senior Associate, Postsecondary Education
Cullinan directs MDRC’s Multiple Measures Assessment Project, which, in collaboration with the Community College Research Center, is evaluating alternative placement systems that use multiple measures in addition to tests.
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Elena Serna-Wallender
Operations Associate, Postsecondary Education
Serna-Wallender joined MDRC in 2014 and specializes in managing projects, providing technical assistance, and developing relationships with postsecondary research partners.
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Stanley Dai
Research Analyst, Postsecondary Education
Stanley Dai is a technical research analyst in MDRC’s Postsecondary Education policy area, with a focus on evaluations of programs that provide comprehensive supports to low-income students.
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Sumner Perera
Research Assistant, Postsecondary Education
Perera is a research assistant in MDRC’s Postsecondary Education policy area. Since joining MDRC in 2021, she has coordinated work on several proposals and projects at various stages of development and provided direct technical assistance to college partners.
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Project Director

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Project

STATUS: Current

Basics

STATUS: Current

Basics

STATUS: Current

Basics