EASEing Students Into College: The Impact of Multidimensional Support for Underprepared Students

• In Event: Belonging

Abstract

This paper estimates the causal effects of a first-year cohort program provided to freshmen majored in Biological Sciences at a large public Hispanic-serving institution, using a regression discontinuity design based on the fact that students are assigned to the program with math SAT score below a threshold. Our preliminary results indicate that the program significantly increased students’ grades in core college-level courses, as well as boosted students’ sense of belongingness to the collegiate environment. These promising results provide compelling evidence that cohort programs can provide effective support to at-risk populations when implemented with high level of fidelity.

Authors

• Sabrina Solanki, University of California - Irvine

• Di Xu, University of California, Irvine

• Peter McPartlan, University of California - Irvine

• Brian Sato