The Delivery and Evolution of Student Support Services at Community Colleges With Promise Programs

• In Event: Expanding Access: The Implementation and Effects of College Access and Retention Initiatives

Abstract

Promise programs offer college scholarships that cover tuition and fees, and some also offer support services to help their students navigate their postsecondary education. This multi-site study of community colleges with promise programs examines the types of student support services offered, how they are delivered, and how they adapted to their changing environment and student needs. Guided by the theories of policy implementation (Honig, 2006), street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky, 1980; Meyers & Vorsanger, 2003), and organizational learning (Argyris & Schön, 1997; March & Olsen, 1975), we found that promise program and other student-facing administrators shaped how promise programs were enacted and adapted. We also found that administrators learned from their adaptions to maintain new modalities for services.

Authors

• Meredith S. Billings, University of Texas - Arlington

• Amy Li, Florida International University

• Denisa Gandara, University of Texas at Austin