College Promise: Supporting Students in College Access and Success

College Promise: Supporting Students in College Access and Success
College Promise: Supporting Students in College Access and Success
Washington, DC

Partner Website(s)

logo

Overview

Community college students face many barriers to success including tuition costs, a lack of support on campus, and academic and other barriers such as cost of books and transportation. College Promise programs, which now number more than 300 nationally, provide financial support to pay students’ tuition and fees. These programs have received bipartisan support from state and municipal policymakers as a way to improve students’ access to college, putting college financially in reach.

While College Promise programs have been shown to improve college access through tuition assistance, not all of them address other barriers to college success. MDRC’s College Promise Success Initiative takes the College Promise program one step further by implementing evidence-based student support practices to improve college completion.

This event discussed the impact of College Promise programs and MDRC’s College Promise Success Initiative on college access and success, highlighting the Detroit Promise Path. The evidence of the proven benefits of these programs is coming at the right time to inform the process of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in helping students access and complete college.

Presenters included:

  • Martha Kanter, Executive Director, College Promise Campaign
  • Alyssa Ratledge, Research Analyst, MDRC
  • Monica M. Rodriguez, Director of Children and Youth Services, City of Detroit Mayor’s Office

Respondents:

  • Katie Berger, Professional Staff Member, Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives
  • Alex Ricci, Professional Staff Member, Committee on Education and Labor Republicans, U.S. House of Representatives

____________________________

The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional development organization based in Washington, DC, provides learning opportunities for policy leaders, practitioners, and researchers working on youth and education issues at the national, state, and local levels. AYPF events and publications are made possible by contributions from philanthropic foundations. For a complete list, click here.