Education strategies to improve post-secondary outcomes
Education strategies can increase awareness of college and training programs, help students quickly complete academic prerequisites, and provide wraparound personal supports for students.
Individuals who complete post-secondary education or training are more likely to attain high quality employment, experience good health outcomes, maintain stable homes, and less likely to be incarcerated.
How does post-secondary education affect economic mobility?
- A post-secondary degree or credential is the surest way to achieve upward economic mobility. 1
Without a college degree, a child born to a low-income family has a 45 percent chance of remaining in the bottom quintile of earnings as an adult. With a college degree, a child born to a family in the lowest quintile of income has an 84 percent chance of moving into a higher quintile as an adult.
- Obtaining a post-secondary degree significantly increases an individual’s lifetime earnings. 2 3
In 2016, individuals with a high school degree aged 25-34 earned an average approximately $32,000 per year. Individuals with an associate’s degree earned an average of over $38,000, those with a bachelor’s degree or higher earned an average of nearly $60,000.
- Parents with a post-secondary degree are able to access higher quality employment, which allows them to spend more time with and resources on their children. 4
On average, mothers with a college degree spend 4.5 more hours every week engaging with their children than mothers with only a high school diploma or less.
- The return on investment in earning an associate’s, professional, or bachelor’s degree exceeds 15 percent. 5
Categories of successful interventions
- College access programs: Programs that help individuals apply to and enroll in colleges. Often include awareness building, college readiness training, application assistance, and financial aid completion services
- Post-secondary student guidance and support: College-based programs that provide mentoring, counseling, social support, or other services to improve student well-being
- Post-secondary tuition support and incentives: Financial incentives for strong academic performance in high school and college, often in the form of tuition assistance
Evidence-based interventions
Intervention | Type | Category | Evidence Level |
---|---|---|---|
Bottom Line | Program |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative | Program |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
College access programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Dual enrollment programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Early college high school model | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Facilitating Long-term Improvements in Graduation and Higher Education for Tomorrow (FLIGHT) | Program |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
First Year Experience Courses | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
H&R Block College Financial Aid Application Assistance | Program |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Health career recruitment | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
InsideTrack Coaching | Program |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
Learning Accounts | Program |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Open Learning Initiatives | Strategy |
|
|
Opening Doors | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
Performance-based scholarships | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
SAT/ACT test prep and coaching programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Social belonging programs | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
Summer bridge programs | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Summer counseling | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Text message-based financial aid nudges | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement | Program |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |