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Talent Search aims to help low-income and first-generation college students (those whose parents do not have four-year college degrees) complete high school and gain access to college through a combination of services designed to improve academic achievement and increase access to financial aid. Services include test taking and study skills assistance, academic advising, tutoring, career development, college campus visits, and financial aid application assistance.
Two studies of Talent Search met What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards with reservations—one conducted in Texas and another in Florida. Together, the studies included about 5,000 Talent Search participants, as well as a comparison sample of more than 70,000 students created through propensity score matching. 1
Talent Search was found to have potentially positive effects on completing school.
| Staying in school | Progressing in school | Completing school | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating of effectiveness | na | na | Potentially positive effects |
| Improvement index2 | na | na | Average: +17 percentile points Range: +14 to +19 percentile points |
| na = not applicable | |||
The Talent Search study summarized in this intervention report was prepared by staff of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR). Because the principal investigator for the WWC dropout prevention review is also an MPR staff member, the study was rated by staff members from Caliber Associates, who also prepared the intervention report. The report was then reviewed by MPR staff members and by members of the WWC Technical Review Team and external peer reviewers.
|Institute of Education Sciences
Dropout