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Author: Natalie Rose Wagner Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
The purpose of this study has been to identify how financial aid and other factors influence college graduation rates, and to make recommendations on policies that could be used to increase graduation rates at public colleges in California. I obtained data on all four-year public degree-granting colleges in the United States and used regression analysis to identify the factors that impact college graduation rates and measure the magnitude of the impact to determine which factors in my data set are the largest contributors to graduation rates. My regression analysis included financial aid factors (the percentage of students at a college receiving different forms of aid, average amounts received, and the percentage of financial aid dollars distributed to different income groups), college factors (selectivity, tuition and fees, total enrollment, remedial services, etc), student factors (percentage of students at the college in different age, race/ethnicity, and gender groups); and social factors, which are characteristics of the state in which the student resides (percentage in different age and race ethnicity categories, the percentage of individuals who own their home, percentage single parents, etc). While my initial intent was to focus primarily on financial aid factors, I found these variables to have a smaller impact on graduation rates than many of the other explanatory variables included in my model. After identifying the impact that these factors have on college graduation rates, I used my regression model to identify colleges that are doing much better than predicted (and those doing worse) at graduating students in six years, all factors held constant. I studied the top and bottom performing schools in the UC and CSU systems and identified things that the top colleges are doing to increase graduation rates that were not controlled for in my regression model. As I was studying the colleges, I looked at various types of support provided to students including financial support (financial aid) and also social and academic support services. I also looked at the mission and culture of the colleges doing well compared to those doing poorly. My study did not lead to specific recommendations on additional policy changes that should be made to California0́9s state financial aid programs and services to increase graduation rates. However, I found some differences in the information and resources provided to students regarding financial aid between the best and worst performing colleges. In my concluding chapter, I make recommendations on things that California's public colleges could do to increase graduation rates, both related and unrelated to financial aid. I also provide some general policy recommendations for the state that could be implemented to increase the percentage of students at public colleges in California that earn a bachelor's degree in six years.
Author: Natalie Rose Wagner Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
The purpose of this study has been to identify how financial aid and other factors influence college graduation rates, and to make recommendations on policies that could be used to increase graduation rates at public colleges in California. I obtained data on all four-year public degree-granting colleges in the United States and used regression analysis to identify the factors that impact college graduation rates and measure the magnitude of the impact to determine which factors in my data set are the largest contributors to graduation rates. My regression analysis included financial aid factors (the percentage of students at a college receiving different forms of aid, average amounts received, and the percentage of financial aid dollars distributed to different income groups), college factors (selectivity, tuition and fees, total enrollment, remedial services, etc), student factors (percentage of students at the college in different age, race/ethnicity, and gender groups); and social factors, which are characteristics of the state in which the student resides (percentage in different age and race ethnicity categories, the percentage of individuals who own their home, percentage single parents, etc). While my initial intent was to focus primarily on financial aid factors, I found these variables to have a smaller impact on graduation rates than many of the other explanatory variables included in my model. After identifying the impact that these factors have on college graduation rates, I used my regression model to identify colleges that are doing much better than predicted (and those doing worse) at graduating students in six years, all factors held constant. I studied the top and bottom performing schools in the UC and CSU systems and identified things that the top colleges are doing to increase graduation rates that were not controlled for in my regression model. As I was studying the colleges, I looked at various types of support provided to students including financial support (financial aid) and also social and academic support services. I also looked at the mission and culture of the colleges doing well compared to those doing poorly. My study did not lead to specific recommendations on additional policy changes that should be made to California0́9s state financial aid programs and services to increase graduation rates. However, I found some differences in the information and resources provided to students regarding financial aid between the best and worst performing colleges. In my concluding chapter, I make recommendations on things that California's public colleges could do to increase graduation rates, both related and unrelated to financial aid. I also provide some general policy recommendations for the state that could be implemented to increase the percentage of students at public colleges in California that earn a bachelor's degree in six years.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Dissertations, Academic Languages : en Pages : 140
Book Description
Public policies and economic conditions have raised the expectations toward institutions of higher education, community colleges in particular, to produce more graduates and skilled workers. As a result, state actions to increase college completion are growing, and stakeholders are holding community colleges accountable by increasingly linking budget allocations to college completion rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of institutional characteristics and administrative practices on completion rates at public community colleges in California. The data on completion rates represents the 2006-2007 cohort of students who were tracked for 6 academic years. The data on other variables were collected from California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) Data Mart Management Information System and were averaged for 6 academic years to match the same academic years on completion rates. The study conducted a one-way ANOVA analysis to predict completion rates based on the institutional size, geographical location, and the number of community colleges in a district. It also conducted multiple regression analysis to predict completion rates based on employee compositions at each public community college in California. Results indicated that (a) small and medium size institutions had lower completion rates than large and very large ones, (b) rural institutions trailed behind their suburban and urban counterparts in regards to completion rates, (c) having two or three community colleges in a district predicted the highest completion rate compared to single district colleges and districts with four or more colleges, and (d) tenured or tenure-track faculty was the only variable that positively and significantly correlated with the completion rate when compared to other types of employee categories
Author: Publisher: ISBN: 9781878477538 Category : College attendance Languages : en Pages : 55
Book Description
"The report examines retention and degree attainment of 210,056 first-time, full-time students at 356 four-year non-profit institutions, using a combination of CIRP (Cooperative Institutional Research Program) Freshman Survey data and student graduation data from the National Student Clearinghouse"--Publisher's web site.
Author: Jennifer Lee Murphy Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 274
Book Description
Although many individuals complete some college-level education, too few attain a degree. In California, there are nearly 20 million working-age adults of which 22%, or 4.5 million, have some college, but no degree (Lumina Foundation, 2010). Emerging data indicates that many of these individuals actually qualify for a degree or are within 15 credits of completing an academic program of study (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2011a). The literature review confirmed that the focus on near completion is new in national policy conversations and also illustrated that California is not among the nine states focusing on near completion as part of statewide efforts to increase degree attainment. The purpose of this study was to identify and understand the state-level policy affecting degree completion at the associate and baccalaureate levels for the near completion population in California. To gain this understanding, I sought answers to the following research questions: (1) Are there state-level policies in California that specifically address near completion? (2) How do state-level policies help or hinder access and success for the near completion population? The research study confirmed that California's existing state-level policy in higher education, workforce development, and economic development is devoid of specific programs, initiatives, or regulations to move the near completion population toward degree completion. The policy audit demonstrated that policies affecting the near completion population are frequently the same policies identified as affecting college completion in general. Therefore, investing in cross cutting efforts to improve degree completion will benefit near completers and current students. The research also revealed that many leaders and key staff are unaware of the near completion population in California and near completion projects in other states. Two hundred seventy-two artifacts from 14 higher education, workforce development, and economic development entities in California0́9s executive branch of government were categorized into nine areas of an existing framework and then audited for impact to the near completion population. The following nine areas from the CAEL Adult Learning Policy Review Framework (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, 2008) were utilized in collecting and categorizing policy: governance, strategic plans, performance measures, state agency programs, postsecondary education programs, finance, student financial assistance, consumer information, and stakeholder involvement. The following six public policy priorities, adapted from Shulock and Moore's (2007) audit of California Community Colleges' finance policy, formed the policy audit criteria: access, completion, workforce, affordability, readiness, and efficiency. Nineteen interviews with state level policy leaders and key staff provided insight on the policy context and on specific policies. The research also confirmed that existing policy not targeted at near completion does indeed affect access and success for the near completion population. The study highlights specific policies in order to demonstrate that policy that supports, hinders, or works at cross purposes in moving the near completion population to degree completion. At the same time, since there are no specific efforts targeting near completion, there are also no state-level policies preventing efforts or services. A summary chart in Chapter 5 notes specific activities that higher education, workforce development, and economic development can do to improve access and success for the near completion population. These findings have important implications for policy, leaders, and support the use of data informed decision making. The findings shed light on the near completion phenomenon and how it is linked to umbrella policy regarding degree completion. The study's focus on near completers highlights the opportunity for some immediate success as part of a comprehensives completion agenda. The lack of data on the near completion population and near completion programs indicates the need for a coordinated data system. The importance of measurement supports the need for universal data and points to the urgency in reevaluating completion formulas and completion metrics. The lack of degree attainment goals points to a need for coordinated oversight and leadership across higher education, workforce development, and economic development. Near completers are closer to a college degree than incoming freshman and addressing the near completion population should be one part of increasing the overall degree attainment levels in California and across the nation.
Author: Thomas R. Bailey Publisher: Harvard University Press ISBN: 0674368282 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 301
Book Description
In the United States, 1,200 community colleges enroll over ten million students each year—nearly half of the nation’s undergraduates. Yet fewer than 40 percent of entrants complete an undergraduate degree within six years. This fact has put pressure on community colleges to improve academic outcomes for their students. Redesigning America’s Community Colleges is a concise, evidence-based guide for educational leaders whose institutions typically receive short shrift in academic and policy discussions. It makes a compelling case that two-year colleges can substantially increase their rates of student success, if they are willing to rethink the ways in which they organize programs of study, support services, and instruction. Community colleges were originally designed to expand college enrollments at low cost, not to maximize completion of high-quality programs of study. The result was a cafeteria-style model in which students pick courses from a bewildering array of choices, with little guidance. The authors urge administrators and faculty to reject this traditional model in favor of “guided pathways”—clearer, more educationally coherent programs of study that simplify students’ choices without limiting their options and that enable them to complete credentials and advance to further education and the labor market more quickly and at less cost. Distilling a wealth of data amassed from the Community College Research Center (Teachers College, Columbia University), Redesigning America’s Community Colleges offers a fundamental redesign of the way two-year colleges operate, stressing the integration of services and instruction into more clearly structured programs of study that support every student’s goals.
Author: Jodi Lewis Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 190
Book Description
Too many students are not completing their Bachelor's degrees in California and nationwide, threatening not only the global competitiveness of our workforce, but also the economic and civic vitality produced by an educated society. At California State University (CSU) campuses, about 50,000 freshmen enrolled in 2006, representing the top one-third of California's graduating high school seniors (CSU, 2013a). However, system-wide, roughly half of the students who enrolled as freshmen did not complete their degrees within six years (CSU, 2013a). This statistic, which has fluctuated only slightly for several years, warrants the attention of taxpayers, policymakers, administrators, education practitioners, and parents, because of the significant investments they have made in students by the time they matriculate in CSU (CPEC, no date). In order for society to reap the significant returns promised by Bachelor's degree graduates in the workforce, and in order for California to meet urgent workforce needs, students must complete their degrees. One way to improve graduation rates is through effective resources and programs that increase the academic achievement and engagement of students. Research indicates that the majority of students who drop out do so in the first year, making this a critical time to intervene (CSU, 2013c; Tinto, 2012). To that end, this research quantifies the impact of participation in First Year Experience (FYE) on the graduation rate of first-time freshmen at California State University, Sacramento ("Sacramento State"). Using data from the cohort of first-time freshmen entering Sacramento State in 2006, this research employs logistic regression analysis to demonstrate that participation in FYE, either through a first year seminar or a learning community, is associated with a 38 percent greater likelihood of graduation than non-participation, holding constant all background characteristics and high school academic experiences. The research also indicates that other first-year achievements, including freshman GPA and first-year units, are statistically significantly associated with graduation, holding constant all background characteristics, high school academic experiences, and college experiences. Based on these findings, I recommend that Sacramento State continue and enhance its efforts to increase engagement of freshman students through FYE - to help bridge their academic and social contexts, to help them advance college over competing priorities in life, to help them establish a critical psychological mindset through academic achievement in their freshman year. The CSU Chancellor's recent $50 million investment in student success provides potential resources to enhance the focus on freshmen. These efforts could help move the needle on graduation rates, promising significant economic returns to California stakeholders.
Author: Natalie Rose Wagner
Author: Natalie Rose Wagner
Author: Hans P. Johnson
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Author: Hans Johnson
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Author: 
Author: Jennifer Lee Murphy
Author: Thomas R. Bailey
Author: California. Legislature. Assembly. Committee on Higher Education
Author: Jodi Lewis