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ERIC Number: ED611769
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Mar
Pages: 88
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Motor City Momentum: Three Years of the Detroit Promise Path Program for Community College Students
Ratledge, Alyssa; Sommo, Colleen; Cullinan, Dan; O'Donoghue, Rebekah; Lepe, Marco; Camo-Biogradlija, Jasmina
MDRC
Postsecondary education is widely seen as a necessity in the modern economy. Yet students at community colleges often face steep odds when it comes to completing a degree. Community colleges serve many low-income and first-generation students as well as students of color, all of whom must contend with many obstacles to success. At the same time, two-year colleges are severely underfunded, and therefore are unable to provide the level of personal support that many students require. MDRC and the Detroit Regional Chamber partnered in 2016 to create the Detroit Promise Path (DPP), an evidence-based student services program designed to help more Detroit high school graduates--among the nation's most underserved students--enroll and persist in college, accumulate credits, graduate, and potentially transfer to a four-year program. DPP builds on an existing scholarship program called the Detroit Promise, launched in 2013, which covers community college tuition and fees for up to three years of attendance. At the heart of DPP are campus coaches who help students acclimate to college, proactively reach out to them with help and reminders about tasks and deadlines, and offer a sympathetic ear to young people who may be grappling with personal challenges--all with the goal of keeping them in school and on track to graduate. This report presents findings from MDRC's randomized controlled trial evaluation of DPP at five Detroit community colleges. A student survey found that nearly 90 percent of respondents rated the program as valuable or highly valuable. The evaluation found that more students in the DPP program stayed enrolled in school and earned more credits, compared with students who were offered the Promise scholarship alone. However, at the three-year mark, there was no evidence of an impact on degrees earned. It is clear that promoting college "access" is not enough. Programs must also tackle progress--helping students stay in school and get to graduation. [Additional funding for this study was provided by the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation. For the Executive Summary, see ED611776.]
MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Ford Foundation; JP Morgan Chase Foundation; Kresge Foundation
Authoring Institution: MDRC
Identifiers - Location: Michigan (Detroit)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A