Sometimes a Long and Winding Road: An Exploration of Kalamazoo Promise Stop Out and Reenrollment

Abstract

This exploratory, descriptive study examined trends associated with Kalamazoo Promise (KPromise) student stop out, reenrollment, and persistence to a credential upon reenrollment. For the 2006–2017 cohorts, 78% were retained from first to second year. Inferential models suggested that first-year stop out was mainly correlated to students’ high school free-and-reduced lunch eligibility (FRL) and high-school GPA. Forty-five percent of stopped out students reenrolled, and reenrollment was primarily correlated with time. The median time to return was 3 non-summer semesters, with Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino(a) students predicted to reenroll in fewer semesters than White students. For the 2006–2012 cohorts, 30% of all stopped out students who reenrolled have earned a degree to date. Upon reenrollment, nearly half of all postsecondary certifications were earned by FRL students. Discussion links our findings to wider trends, highlights actions to bolster outcomes, and illustrates how this study could be a benchmark comparison for other tuition-free policies.

Exploring the relationship between COVID‐19 and immediate 2‐year college enrollment and persistence among Kalamazoo Promise scholars

“…For regressions on first‐year stop‐out, we restricted our sample to individuals who enrolled in KVCC immediately after high school graduation ( N = 377), and we defined first‐year stop‐out as not enrolling at KVCC for the second fall after high school graduation, conditional on starting college the first fall after high school. These decisions and definitions are consistent with prior work on KPromise student stop‐out (see: Collier & McMullen, 2020, 2021). For stop out, we compared the 2019 and 2020 cohorts as the class of 2021 had not yet reached their second fall of enrollment at the time of writing.…”

“…We examined two binary outcomes of immediate college enrollment at KVCC and stopping out within the first year of college. Consistent with Collier and McMullen (2020, 2021), immediate college enrollment was defined as starting college by the first fall after spring high school graduation. For regressions on first‐year stop‐out, we restricted our sample to individuals who enrolled in KVCC immediately after high school graduation ( N = 377), and we defined first‐year stop‐out as not enrolling at KVCC for the second fall after high school graduation, conditional on starting college the first fall after high school.…”

“…These data were acquired through a data sharing agreement, and include demographic details, KPromise eligibility and payment information, enrollment details, and grade records. About 90% of each graduating cohort from the public schools is eligible for Promise funding, but we include all graduates in our sample and generally describe all KPS grads as KPromise students, consistent with prior research (Collier & McMullen, 2020). In the case of ineligible students that enroll at KVCC, these students comprise a minuscule portion of the sample (0.6%), and we can reliably observe the college enrollment patterns of other ineligible students by using the StudentTracker report from the National Student Clearinghouse.…”

A promise kept for whom? College access, success, and the limits of race-neutral tuition-free programs.

“…Our findings suggest that KPromise influences access but currently does little to equalize persistence and degree attainment, notable in other recent studies (Collier & McMullen, 2023). As such, KPromise’s implementation of fiscal neutrality at college entrance operates in a manner that is too little too late to ameliorate the effect of compounding inequities.…”

“…KPromise has demonstrated the potential to ameliorate some of these access barriers through enhanced fiscal capacity and social and academic influences on the KPS district (Bartik et al, 2019; Collier & McMullen, 2021; Parnther & Collier, 2022). However, as a race-neutral policy, KPromise remains limited in scope and target, requiring further examination of its potential impact beyond addressing socioeconomic disparities to also those resulting from racial stratification as noted in past KPromise-focused research (Collier et al, 2019; Collier & McMullen, 2023; Collier & Parnther, 2021; W.E. Upjohn Institute, 2021).…”