Weak academic preparation and inadequate social skills impede access to and achievement in higher education for millions of young people. Students who graduate from high school are often judged to be ill-prepared for college-level studies. Many who do enroll in college struggle academically, often withdrawing from college before they complete degrees. These general problems pervade two-year and four-year institutions, although community colleges, being open-access institutions, tend to enroll the students with the greatest challenges.
In response to these problems, the National Center for Postsecondary Research has developed a research agenda to evaluate programs and policies that postsecondary institutions and policy makers have adopted to strengthen academic and social skills. Strengthening student skills and providing institutional supports at the point of entry not only enhances access but builds a foundation for subsequent success and graduation. Thus, NCPR will carry out a focused program of research in two areas: dual enrollment, in which high school students are allowed to enroll in college courses; and remediation, with a particular emphasis on learning communities.
Considerable resources are being devoted to both dual enrollment and remediation. Yet there is little definitive research on the effectiveness of dual enrollment or different remediation practices such as learning communities in improving students' transitions and persistence. Although there are a growing number of studies of these initiatives, most suffer from methodological problems that prevent causal estimates of program effectiveness.
Therefore, in each of the two main areas, the Postsecondary Center will carry out a multi-layered research agenda built on random assignment experimental studies that generate internally valid estimates of program effects. These projects will include tracking of post-program student outcomes and associated qualitative research to understand implementation and treatment fidelity, which will also generate insights into why programs are or are not effective.
In addition, we will carry out related quasi-experimental analysis of dual enrollment and developmental education using longitudinal unit record data sets from several states. Using a variety of quantitative methodologies, we will estimate the influence of these programs on student outcomes. The results from these analyses will be used to supplement, extend, and verify the conclusions of our experiments. The use of large state unit record data sets is a relatively new approach to research on postsecondary practice and policy.
While these activities will define our core research agenda, NCPR will also conduct smaller scale research projects on a variety of topics, chosen in collaboration with the Institute for Education Sciences. In the spring of 2007, the Center is starting such a project on financial aid in higher education. This project will use state unit record data bases to measure the effects of different types of aid and loans on college access and persistence and will lay the ground work for larger scale experiments on these topics.
The National Center for Postsecondary Research is committed to working closely with policy makers and practitioners to use the results of our research to help strengthen the performance of institutions of higher education. Therefore, our results, conclusions, and recommendations will be disseminated in print and electronic forms and will be aimed at both practitioner and academic audiences.
Dr. Thomas Bailey, Director
October 2007
