Promises Fulfilled? A Systematic Review of the Impacts of Promise Programs

Swanson, Elise; Watson, Angela; Ritter, Gary W.; Nichols, Malachi

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2849194

Cited by 20 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…In this study, which combined elements of all the above forms of aid, we found some, albeit limited, benefits. Consistent with prior research (Deming & Dynarksi, 2009;Swanson et al, 2016), we found that students who received the funding were more likely to be attending college two years after high school and graduating from college. TDP also increased the number of discrete steps students took toward college enrollment, such as filling out the FAFSA and participating in other college access programs.…”

Section: Conclusion: Design and Implementation Matter With Financial supporting

confidence: 90%

“…Though estimation of impacts is complicated by limited statistical power and other factors, the Kalamazoo Promise has likely increased college-going (Bartik, Hershbein, & Lachowska, 2015). Research to date reinforces prior studies of traditional aid programs in showing positive effects of promise scholarships (Swanson, Watson, Ritter, & Nichols, 2016).…”

Section: Introduction: Financial Aid Promise Scholarships and Free Cmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…merit-aid programs (Miller-Adams, 2015, Perna & Leigh, 2017, Swanson et al, 2016. By offering scholarship funds, TDP purposefully sought to isolate the effect of aid on college-going, separate from the effect of additional college access supports (e.g., college counseling and tutoring).…”

Section: Introduction: Financial Aid Promise Scholarships and Free Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Promise of Free College (and Its Potential Pitfalls):

Harris¹,

Farmer-Hinton²,

Kim³

et al. 2020

Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs

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T he price of college is rising, making college feel out of reach for a rising share of Americans. Families can borrow to be sure, but with total student loan debt now above $1 trillion nationally, the situation seems unsustainable. Meanwhile, we face a long-term decline in our international ranking on college attainment and the disparities in college access by race and income-disparities that financial aid and loans are supposed to address-seem larger than ever. It is no surprise then that in the campaign for U.S. President in the 2016 election, nearly all candidates of both major political parties raised the issue of college affordability. Increasing financial aid to students is one obvious potential solution. Once limited to discussions of the size of need-based aid programs such as Pell grants and state-based merit aid programs, new forms of aid have emerged. Place-based "promise scholarships" provide funds to students attending schools in certain cities and states. Others have proposed changes on a national scale, increasing and redesigning financial aid to eliminate student loan debt, called debt-free college, or going even further by eliminating tuition, fees, and/or some share of living expenses-free college. This study examines one of the first randomized control trials of a program similar to many free college and promise scholarship proposals. The Degree Project was launched in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) in 2011. Students in 18 randomly selected high schools were promised up to $12,000

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Section: Conclusion: Design and Implementation Matter With Financial supporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introduction: Financial Aid Promise Scholarships and Free Cmentioning

confidence: 64%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Promise of Free College (and Its Potential Pitfalls):

Harris¹,

Farmer-Hinton²,

Kim³

et al. 2020

Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A recent systematic review of Promise programs (Swanson et al, 2020) found four studies, excluding a prior version of this study (Ash, 2015) that examined the impacts of Promise programs on K–12 outcomes, including effects on math and literacy standardized exams, high school GPA, high school credits earned, and high school graduation. Of those, only two (Bartik et al, 2010 and Gonzalez et al, 2014) examined the impact of a Promise program on student math and literacy achievement on standardized assessments.…”

Section: Prior Impacts Of Promise Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Promise Kept? The Impact of the El Dorado Promise Scholarship on Student Achievement

Ash

Swanson

Ritter

2020

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

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We examine whether the El Dorado Promise, a guaranteed college scholarship program for students in the El Dorado School District (EDSD), affected elementary and middle school achievement using a quasi-experimental matching design. We first match the EDSD with similar districts to create a pool of potential comparison students then match students on prior achievement and demographics. The Promise leads to an estimated 0.11 standard deviation gain in math achievement; this effect is statistically significant and practically meaningful. Results are similar from district-level synthetic control and difference-in-differences analyses. We find larger effects on students with above-average prior achievement. We are unable to construct an appropriate comparison group to estimate the impact of the Promise on literacy achievement.

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“…For more information on program design distinctions, see Miller-Adams (2015),Perna (2016), andSwanson et al (2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Promise Scholarship Programs and Local Prosperity

Miller-Adams¹,

Smith²

2018

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We argue that place-based college scholarships, if designed intentionally and leveraged effectively, can foster local economic development. Since the introduction of the Kalamazoo Promise in 2005, a growing number of communities have applied the place-based approach to investments in human capital through the creation of college scholarship programs. Reviewing the existing literature on educational and economic outcomes associated with Promise programs reveals that they can expand students' postsecondary aspirations, improve a school district's college-going culture, and increase college enrollment and degree attainment while promoting inmigration of residents and positive growth in housing prices. Therefore, these programs can serve a broader communal interest, benefiting both individuals (e.g., through higher earnings) and their localities. We conclude this report by outlining observations for city leaders and local policymakers that can be distilled into lessons concerning the civic engagement and economic vitality of a community, the attainment of equity in student outcomes, and the scale and sustainability of a program's design. We hope the evidence presented in this report will aid in the design, adoption, and scaling of programs that harness community assets and respond to community needs.

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Promises Fulfilled? A Systematic Review of the Impacts of Promise Programs

Cited by 20 publications

References 12 publications

The Promise of Free College (and Its Potential Pitfalls):

The Promise of Free College (and Its Potential Pitfalls):

A Promise Kept? The Impact of the El Dorado Promise Scholarship on Student Achievement

Promise Scholarship Programs and Local Prosperity

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