1. Improving College Access at Low-Income High Schools? The Impact of GEAR UP Iowa on Postsecondary Enrollment and Persistence
- Author
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Laura Ingleby, Nicholas A. Bowman, Sanga Kim, Christina Sibaouih, and David C. Ford
- Subjects
Persistence (psychology) ,Low income ,0502 economics and business ,05 social sciences ,050301 education ,Demographic economics ,College enrollment ,Academic achievement ,050207 economics ,Psychology ,human activities ,0503 education ,Education - Abstract
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federal program designed to promote college access and success for students from low-income backgrounds. Although some literature has examined K–12 outcomes, little research has explored the extent to which GEAR UP achieves its intended postsecondary objectives. The present study used a difference-in-differences design with a sample of 17,605 students to explore the impact of GEAR UP Iowa on college enrollment and persistence. The findings indicate that GEAR UP Iowa promotes the college enrollment of high school graduates by 3 to 4 percentage points, whereas it appears to have no effect on college persistence. Results are similar regardless of students’ socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, sex, and K–12 special education status.
- Published
- 2018
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