Assessing the Impact of the College Enrollment Network for School Improvement: A Focus on Latinx Students’ Postsecondary Outcomes

• In Event: Collaborating With Schools and Using Data to Reduce Inequities in Student Outcomes

Abstract

Objectives: The College Enrollment Network for School Improvement (CENSI) was established in the 2019–20 school year, focusing on strategies to support 11th grade students, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, on their path toward college enrollment. The primary aim of the CENSI was to implement and assess practices that bolster college enrollment and completion among traditionally underserved students. This presentation focuses explicitly on the impact of the CENSI on college enrollment for Latinx students who may face unique barriers to college access.

Theoretical framework: Traditional college readiness frameworks often concentrate on essential skills for college access but neglect systemic barriers that obstruct marginalized students from attaining college readiness. By adopting Critical Race Theory and Community Culture of Wealth theoretical frameworks, the CENSI avoids a deficit perspective and recognizes the unique challenges students of color, particularly Latinx students, face in gaining college access. Our study employs Critical Quantitative methodologies, which enables a holistic assessment of the CENSI's impact on Latinx students' postsecondary outcomes while acknowledging systemic biases inherent in conventional quantitative modeling.

Methods: Our study adopts a quasi-experimental research design where we apply propensity score weights to equate 11th grade Latinx students attending CENSI schools with demographically and academically similar Latinx students from non-participating schools in a neighboring district. The propensity score weights are calculated using students' demographic characteristics as well as prior academic indicators, including 10th grade math and science achievement scores. We formulate weights for three cohorts of students: (a) the focal cohort of 11th grade Latinx students in 2020–21 (the year in which students received enhanced guidance and supports at CENSI schools), and (b) two cohorts of 11th graders in 2019–20 and 2018–19, prior to the CENSI’s first year of implementation. To estimate the impact of the CENSI on Latinx students' postsecondary outcomes, we employ a difference-in- difference (DiD) approach.

Data sources: Our primary data sources are district administrative records, providing student demographic information and measures of student achievement prior to 11th grade. The key outcomes for our study include college enrollment, admission into a 'high-quality' college, and persistence into the second year of college, which we will collect from the National Student Clearinghouse in fall 2023.

Results: We have completed collection and cleaning of student background data, and we created three sets of weights using our propensity score weighting approach. This method has allowed us to establish baseline equivalence across the three student cohorts, as indicated by covariates having a standardized mean difference below 0.20. We are currently developing the DiD impact model. We anticipate having preliminary impact study results ready to share by April 2024.

Significance: The findings from this study will provide invaluable insights into the effectiveness of the CENSI on the college enrollment of historically marginalized students. Focusing on Latinx students, our research contributes significantly to the growing literature on educational equity. Moreover, by incorporating critical quantitative methodologies into our evaluation, we hope to create a template for how future studies can employ these techniques.

Authors

• Alberto Guzman-Alvarez, American Institutes for Research

• Dana Shaat, American Institutes for Research

• Kristina L. Zeiser, American Institutes for Research