Community college completion report finds success initiatives on the rise

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 8-8
Author(s):  
Halley Sutton
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Community College Completion

A Cautionary Tale about Emergency Financial Assistance without Services: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation at a Community College

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 218-222
Author(s):  
William N. Evans ◽  
Melissa S. Kearney ◽  
Brendan Perry ◽  
James X. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Financial Assistance ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
College Completion Rates

Community college completion rates are extremely low, especially among low-income students. One potential explanation is that low-income students have limited capacity to overcome financial shocks, such as large medical, legal, or car repair bills. Some programs offer “emergency financial assistance” (EFA) to prevent these events from curtailing educational progress. We test the efficacy of EFA within the context of a broader randomized controlled trial at a community college in Texas. We find no evidence that access to EFA alone leads to improved outcomes. We speculate that EFA will only be effective if it is paired with additional case management services.

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