The Story of Scaling Up: Interim Report on the Impact of Success Boston's Coaching for Completion
Linkow, Tamara; Bumgarner, Erin; Didriksen, Hayley; Lack, Kelly; Nichols, Austin; Dastrup, Emily; Dastrup, Samuel; Gamse, Beth (2019). Abt Associates. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED602748
-
examining5,863Students, grades12-PS
Success Boston Coaching Intervention Report - Supporting Postsecondary Success
Review Details
Reviewed: September 2020
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a quasi-experimental design in which the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Success Boston Coaching.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) |
Success Boston Coaching vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
2.37 |
2.36 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
College persistence - enrolled in a second year of higher education |
Success Boston Coaching vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
82.60 |
78.30 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Semesters Enrolled Full-Time |
Success Boston Coaching vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
67.30 |
63.60 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College persistence - enrolled in a third year of higher education |
Success Boston Coaching vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
74.70 |
71.90 |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
10% English language learners -
Female: 60%
Male: 40% -
Suburban, Urban
-
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
Massachusetts
-
Race Asian 17% Black 42% Other or unknown 33% White 8% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 31% Not Hispanic or Latino 69%
Study Details
Setting
Success Boston Coaching was implemented in the Boston, Massachusetts metro area. Partners included The Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Bunker Hill Community College, other regional colleges and universities, uAspire, the Boston Private Industry Council, and other local nonprofit organizations. During the 2015–16 and 2016–17 academic year, students included in the study received coaching from eight nonprofit coaching organizations: Boston Private Industry Council, Bottom Line, College Bound Dorchester, Freedom House, Hyde Square Task Force, Sociedad Latina, the Steppingstone Foundation, and West End House. A national nonprofit, uAspire, delivered financial aid advising to students and professional development for coaches. The majority of students (74 percent) attended one of eleven colleges: Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Bridgewater State University, Bunker Hill Community College, Framingham State University, Massachusetts Bay Community College, Northeastern University, Roxbury Community College, Salem State University, Suffolk University, University of Massachusetts Boston, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Study sample
The study sample was comprised of 42 percent African-American students, 31 percent Hispanic students, 17 percent Asian students, and eight percent White students. On average, students were 18 years old at baseline. Sixty percent of the sample were female, 10 percent were English learners, 11 percent had an Individualized Education Plan, and 74 percent received free or reduced-price lunch.
Intervention Group
Nonprofit coaching organizations recruited Boston Public School graduates who were transitioning to college, and partnered with local colleges to coordinate coaching for students who qualify and enroll in Success Boston Coaching. Students and coaches connected in-person both on and off-campus using text messaging, email, or phone. Throughout the academic year, coaches provided students with ongoing, one-on-one support on academic, financial, career, and personal topics. For example, coaches offered on-demand guidance to help prepare students to navigate the college environment and become increasingly independent. Coaches also provided one-on-one support on life skills, study skills, help-seeking strategies, and academic skills. They helped students develop meaningful relationships, clarify goals, access networks, and understand college culture. Coaches also provided job and career mentoring as needed. Throughout the intervention, partner colleges communicated with coaches and help coordinate coaching services on their campuses. The Success Boston Coaching network, which The Boston Foundation oversaw, facilitated communication across organizations and provided coaches access to specialized training about financial aid from uAspire, a national nonprofit organization, as well as access to training on other topics.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group had access to traditional college support services but not the coaching and support offered by the eight nonprofit organizations involved in Success Boston Coaching.
Support for implementation
The Boston Foundation oversaw the Success Boston Coaching network that facilitates communication across the initiative. The network also provided coaches access to specialized training about financial aid from uAspire, a national nonprofit organization, as well as access to training on other topics.
Additional Sources
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
-
Linkow, Tamara; Bumgarner, Erin; Lack, Kelly; Nichols, Austin. (2019). The Story of Scaling Up: Highlights from the Interim Report on the Impact of Success Boston's Coaching for Completion. Abt Associates.
-
Linkow, Tamara; Didriksen, Hayley; Gamse, Beth; Bumgarner, Erin; Velez, Melissa; Dastrup, Samuel; Ballinger, Sarah; Burke, Samantha; Meneses, Michael; de la Cruz, R. J. (2017). Success Boston: Coaching for Completion. 2015-16 Implementation Report. Abt Associates.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).