Leveraging Experimental and Observational Evidence to Assess the Generalizability of the Effects of Early Colleges in North Carolina
Sarah Fuller; Douglas Lee Lauen; Fatih Unlu (2023). Education Finance and Policy, v18 n4 p568-596 2023. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1407186
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examining3,269Students, grades9-PS
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2024
- Single Study Review (findings for Early college high schools - Fuller et al. (2023))
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
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.
Findings
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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4-year College Enrollment |
Early college high schools - Fuller et al. (2023) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
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46.40 |
38.00 |
Yes |
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| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
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2-Year College Enrollment |
Early college high schools - Fuller et al. (2023) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
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27.80 |
37.10 |
Yes |
|
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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.
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4% English language learners -
Female: 57%
Male: 43% -
Rural, Suburban, Town, Urban
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North Carolina
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Race Asian 3% Black 27% Native American 2% Other or unknown 9% Two or more races 3% White 56% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 9% Not Hispanic or Latino 91% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 19 early college high schools (ECHS) in North Carolina. These high schools are located in a variety of school districts, with some schools situated in urban districts and others in rural areas.
Study sample
The researchers used administrative data from students randomly assigned through a lottery, where 2,174 students were assigned to the intervention condition and 1,584 students were assigned to the comparison condition. The students participated in a lottery to enroll in intervention schools during the summer before their grade 9 year. A total of 3,758 students were included in the study. All students were enrolled in the lottery before entering grade 9. Approximately 57% of the students were female. The racial composition of the sample was as follows: 56% White, 27% Black, 3% Asian, 3% reporting two or more races, and 2% American Indian or Alaska Native. Hispanic or Latino students represented 9% of the sample. Approximately 7% of students had an Individualized Education Program and 4% were English language learners.
Intervention Group
An ECHS is an educational model designed to allow students to experience a blended high school and college curriculum. Typically established through partnerships between secondary schools and colleges or universities, ECHS programs enable students to earn both high school diplomas and up to two years of college credits (often leading to an associate degree) at no cost to the students. ECHS models can be offered through standalone programs or embedded in comprehensive schools. These programs are specifically aimed at serving underrepresented students and students experiencing poverty, providing them with early exposure to higher education and support to succeed in college-level courses. The curriculum not only includes college coursework but also incorporates support mechanisms such as counseling and tutoring to address the academic and social challenges students may face in a college environment.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group attended traditional high schools and received regular grade 9 through 12 instruction. This included standard high school courses in subjects such as English language arts, math, and social studies, without the integration of college coursework. Students in these schools had access to advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses and could choose to pursue dual enrollment opportunities, but these options were not a core part of the curriculum as in the ECHS programs.
Support for implementation
The study did not describe any additional support or training provided to the ECHS teachers beyond what was typically available at the schools.
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.
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Sarah Fuller; Douglas Lee Lauen; Fatih Unlu. (2023). Leveraging Experimental and Observational Evidence to Assess the Generalizability of the Effects of Early Colleges in North Carolina.
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Sarah Fuller; Douglas Lee Lauen; Fatih Unlu. (2023). Leveraging Experimental and Observational Evidence to Assess the Generalizability of the Effects of Early Colleges in North Carolina. Education Finance and Policy, v18 n4 p568-596.
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Unlu, Fatih; Yamaguchi, Ryoko; Bernstein, Larry; Edmunds, Julie. (2010). Estimating Impacts on Program-Related Subgroups Using Propensity Score Matching: Evidence from the Early College High School Study. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness.
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2024
- Single Study Review (findings for Early college high schools - Fuller et al. (2023))
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Does not meet WWC standards because the approach used to address missing data is not acceptable.
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.
Findings
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
Study sample characteristics were not reported.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.
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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).