Paying for Persistence: The Louisiana Opening Doors Project

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Paying for Persistence The Louisiana Opening
Doors Project

Tom Brock Director, Young Adults and
Postsecondary Education October 2007
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Project History

• Grew out of states desire to help low-income
  parents succeed in community college
• TANF-1 Program child care, books, and counseling
• MDRC research on positive effects of financial
  incentive programs to assist welfare recipients
  find employment
• Idea create a new scholarship program predicated
  on academic performance
• Help ease the financial pressure of attending
  college
• Provide a financial incentive to stay enrolled
  and make good progress
• Demonstration ran from 2003-2005

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Project Partners

• Administered by the Louisiana Workforce
  Commission and Community and Technical College
  System
• Scholarship funding provided through the
  Louisiana Department of Social Services
• Two colleges selected as test sites
• Delgado Community College (City Park and West
  Bank campuses)
• Louisiana Technical College-West Jefferson
• MDRC conducted the evaluation

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Program Details

• Scholarship tied to academic performance
• 1,000 on top of regular financial aid for two
  semesters, paid in increments
• 250 on enrollment
• 250 on passing midterms
• 500 on passing courses
• Scholarship paid in addition to Pell and other
  grants students received
• Opening Doors counselors monitor academic
  performance and disburse payments to students
• Counselors maintain caseloads of 125 students

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Program Eligibility Criteria

• Parent of at least one dependent child under age
  19
• Family income below 200 percent of poverty level
• Ages 18-34
• Possess high school diploma or GED and pass
  college entrance exam
• Do not already have a postsecondary
  degree/certificate

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Evaluation Used an Experimental Research Design
Eligible Students Told about the Study and
Possible Benefits
Baseline Data Collected
Random Assignment
Opening Doors Scholarship
Regular College Services
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Why Random Assignment?

• The Gold Standard for evaluation
• Ensures that students in Opening Doors and in the
  comparison group are the same at baseline
• Any subsequent differences in academic
  achievement or other outcomes can be attributed
  to Opening Doors scholarship

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Retention rates are higher (n 537)
Percent



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Greater full-time enrollment (n 537)
Percent




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Greater percent of attempted courses passed (n
537)

Percent



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More total credits earned each semester (n
537)

Number of Credits



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Cumulative Program Impacts after Three Semesters
(n 537)


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Conclusions

• Performance-based scholarship successfully
  implemented
• Led to large, positive effects for low-income
  parents
• Academic achievement
• Retention in college
• Credits earned

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Future Research

• Through administrative records and surveys, will
  examine program effects on
• Academic outcomes, including graduation and
  transfer
• Employment and earnings
• Social networks and civic participation
• Health attitudes and behaviors
• Special focus on how students are coping since
  Hurricane Katrina

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Could It Happen in California?

• MDRC is in the early stages of planning a
  replication of the Louisiana Opening Doors
  program in other states and colleges
• Current focus
• Identify interested states, colleges
• Raise funding for scholarships and evaluation
• Develop an evaluation plan

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Contact Information

• MDRC Regional Office
• 475 14th Street, Suite 750
• Oakland, CA 94612
• [phone]
• www.mdrc.org