RELs work in partnership with states and districts to 1) conduct original high quality research, 2) provide training, coaching, and technical support, and 3) disseminate high quality research findings about how to support college students and students transitioning to college. A selected list of resources developed by the REL Program appears below.

Partnerships

• Florida Colleges Research Alliance (REL Southeast)
• Post-Secondary Success at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (REL Southeast)

Publications

• Oregon Promise: Student Outcomes and Program Impacts (REL Northwest, November 2021). The study will examine postsecondary enrollment and persistence outcomes of students participating in Oregon Promise, a place-based program designed to help cover the cost of college tuition for eligible students REL Northwest will also describe the characteristics of students who participate in Oregon Promise.
• Understanding Access to and Participation in Dual Enrollment by Locale and Income Level (REL Central, May 2021). One well-established strategy for improving college readiness and success is dual enrollment, which allows secondary students to take college courses and earn college credits. This study is designed to address regional needs by providing detailed information about dual enrollment access and participation within and across REL Central states.
• The Impact of Career and Technical Education on Postsecondary Outcomes in Nebraska and South Dakota (REL Central, May 2021). This impact study will examine the short- and long-term impacts associated with CTE course-taking in high school in Nebraska and North Dakota. Specifically, the study will compare the college and career outcomes of CTE and non-CTE students two and five years after high school.
• Virginia High School Graduates' Career and Technical Education Credentials: Top Credentials Over Time and Across Student Groups (REL Appalachia, January 2021) REL AP is partnering with Virginia state education agencies to conduct a study to describe CTE credential attainment and postsecondary enrollment outcomes leading up to and after a new policy that requires students who earn Virginia's Standard Diploma to earn a CTE credential as well.
• Supply and Demand for Middle‑Skill Occupations in Rural California in 2018–20 (REL West, November 2020). This study is examining the link between community college training programs and the demand for "middle-skill" occupations (those that generally require education and training beyond high school but less than a bachelor's degree). This study will describe the number of degrees and certificates attained by recent graduates of California community colleges in four rural regions by program of study, compare these patterns against historical and projected job openings in aligned middle-skill occupations, and evaluate the overall balance of middle-skill workforce supply and demand for the major occupation groups in each of the four regions.
• College Enrollment and Completion among Texas High School Graduates with a Disability (REL Southwest, November 2020). Approximately 25,000 students with disabilities graduate from Texas high schools each year. However, limited evidence is available on the postsecondary transitions and outcomes of these students. To address this need, this study will examine postsecondary enrollment and outcomes in Texas postsecondary institutions among Texas public high school graduates with disabilities. In addition, the study will examine the extent to which high school graduates with disabilities who enroll in two-year colleges receive special services. REL Southwest will report the results by students' primary disability type, student characteristics, and institution types and regions within Texas.
• What Foundational Skills Matter for Algebra I Success? (REL Central, August 2020). Educators from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education partnered with Regional Educational Laboratory Central to investigate the specific foundational knowledge and skills that are associated with achievement in Algebra I. This study examined whether student knowledge in five domains of math assessed in grade 7 was associated with Algebra I achievement.
• Supporting the transition to college: Accelerated learning access, outcomes, and credit transfer in Oregon (REL Northwest, November 2018). Conducted in partnership with practitioners from secondary and postsecondary systems and institutions, this REL Northwest report provides information to guide policy and practice focused on improving accelerated learning programs in Oregon.
• Associations Between Predictive Indicators and Postsecondary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Success Among Hispanic Students in Texas (REL Southwest, November 2017). Hispanics remain underrepresented in the high-paying fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as among those earning STEM degrees. This study identified factors that predict whether Hispanic and non-Hispanic public high school students in Texas will go on to pursue or earn a postsecondary STEM degree.
• Comparing enrollment, characteristics, and academic outcomes of students in developmental courses and those in credit-bearing courses at Northern Marianas College (REL Pacific, April 2017). Increasing students' college and career readiness and success is a priority throughout the United States and across the Pacific Region. This study will examine the characteristics and college trajectories of students who are placed into remedial English or math classes as compared to students who are placed into credit-bearing courses in order to provide the alliance with a clearer understanding of the impact of assignment to remedial courses on student success.
• Using high school data to understand college readiness in the Northern Mariana Islands (REL Pacific, April 2017). Educators in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands have expressed concern about high rates of student assignment to non-credit bearing remedial education courses at the local college, Northern Marianas College, which may indicate that many students are not ready to succeed in college.
• Earning College Credits in High School: Options, Participation, and Outcomes for Oregon Students (REL Northwest, March 2017). In 2011 Oregon passed legislation that established the ambitious target of having 80 percent of Oregon adults earn a postsecondary degree by 2025. Although there are a variety of accelerated college credit options already available in Oregon, there is a lack of understanding about those options, their distinctive features, and the characteristics of students participating in them.
• Six-Year College Enrollment, Performance, Persistence, and Completion Rates in Tennessee: Describing Outcomes From the 2007 Cohort (REL Appalachia, February 2017). This study will describe six-year postsecondary outcomes for all students who graduated from Tennessee high schools in 2007. The study will: (1) examine first-year postsecondary performance (i.e., GPA and credits earned) for those who have enrolled, (2) examine enrollment patterns every semester over six years for all students, and (3) report degree completion and persistence rates at 2-year, 4-year, and 6-year intervals.
• What are the College Outcomes for Metro Nashville's High School Class of 2007 After Six Years? (REL Appalachia, February 2017). This study will describe six-year postsecondary outcomes for all students who graduated from a Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) high school in 2007. The study will: (1) examine enrollment patterns every semester over six years for all students, (2) examine first-year postsecondary performance (i.e., GPA and credits earned) for those who have enrolled, and (3) report degree completion and persistence rates at two-year, four-year, and six-year intervals.
• How Well Does High School Grade Point Average Predict College Performance by Student Urbanicity and Timing of College Entry? (REL Northwest, February 2017). This report examines how well high school GPA and college entrance exams predict college grades for particular subgroups of students who enrolled directly in college math and English in the University of Alaska system over a four-year period. Building on a previous REL Northwest study, the report examines whether high school GPA is less predictive for certain groups of students, such as students who come from different parts of the state or recent high school graduates versus older students.
• Scaling Community College Academic Planning: A Randomized Controlled Trial (REL West, November 2016). Community college students often lack an academic plan to guide their choices of coursework to achieve their educational goals, in part because counseling departments typically lack the capacity to advise students at scale. This randomized controlled trial tests the impact of guaranteed access to one of two alternative counseling sessions (group workshops or one-on-one counseling), each of which was combined with targeted "nudging." Outcome measures included scheduling and attending the counseling session, completing an academic plan, and re-enrolling in the following semester.
• Investigating Developmental and College-Level Course Enrollment and Passing Before and after Florida's Developmental Education Reform (REL Southeast, October 2016). This study focuses on students enrolled in developmental education courses in the Florida College system 2011–12 through 2014–15. Enrollment patterns will be described by subject area for all students and students with different background characteristics.
• The Implementation of Dual Credit Programs in Six Nonurban Kentucky School Districts (REL Appalachia, June 2016). Districts across Kentucky are implementing dual credit programs, but there is little sharing of information about the implementation of these programs. REL Appalachia researchers identified six districts in consultation with Kentucky College and Career Readiness Alliance representatives. Profiles describing each district's dual credit programming were created using data from 45 individual interviews conducted with seven distinct stakeholder groups.
• Dual Enrollment Courses in Kentucky: High School Students' Participation and Completion Rates (REL Appalachia, June 2016). Kentucky is using dual enrollment as one strategy to improve access to postsecondary education for its high school students, particularly after passage of Kentucky Senate Bill 1 in 2009, which focused on improving college and career readiness. The REL Appalachia undertook a descriptive study of participation in and completion of dual enrollment courses for Kentucky students in grades 11 and 12 from 2009/10 through 2012/13.
• Developmental Education and College Readiness at the University of Alaska (REL Northwest, May 2016). This study examines the postsecondary readiness of first-time students who enrolled in the University of Alaska system over a four-year period. The study calculates the proportion of students considered academically underprepared for college and how placement rates for developmental education (that is, non-credit-bearing courses) vary for different groups of students. The study also determines the proportion of students placed in developmental education who eventually enrolled in and passed college English and math.
• Alaska Students' Pathways from High School to Postsecondary Education and Employment (REL Northwest, March 2016). This study follows Alaskan students in their first six years after high school to describe the pathways they took to postsecondary education and careers. Analyzing data from multiple national and state education and employment sources, the study examines the trajectories of 40,000 students who exited public high schools in Alaska from 2004/05 to 2007/08.
• College Enrollment Patterns for Rural Indiana High School Graduates (REL Midwest, June 2015). This study examined 1) average distances traveled to attend college, (2) presumptive college eligibility, (3) differences between two-year and four-year college enrollment, (4) differences in enrollment related to differences in colleges' selectivity, and (5) degree of "undermatching" (i.e., enrolling in a college less selective than one's presumptive eligibility suggested) for rural and nonrural graduates among Indiana's 2010 high school graduates.
• Comparing Postsecondary Enrollment and Persistence Among Rural and Nonrural Students in Oregon (REL Northwest, May 2015). This REL Northwest study examined whether rural students at all achievement levels were less likely than their nonrural counterparts to enroll in college and persist to the second year. The researchers analyzed college enrollment patterns and persistence among rural and nonrural Oregon high school students, as well as variations among different types of students.
• What Predicts Participation in Developmental Education Among Recent High School Graduates at Community College? Lessons from Oregon (REL Northwest, May 2015). This study examines the extent of developmental education participation among Oregon high school graduates students who attend community college and the relationship between high school experiences and subsequent developmental education course-taking. An analysis of state and national data from more than 101,000 Oregon public high school graduates who enrolled in the state's community colleges shows that 65 percent of high school graduates took at least one developmental education course.
• Changes in Financial Aid and Student Enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities After the Tightening of PLUS Credit Standards (REL Mid-Atlantic, April 2015). The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in financial aid and student enrollment at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) after the U.S. Department of Education increased the credit history requirements necessary to obtain Parental Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). The study used institution-level data to examine financial aid and enrollment changes at four-year non-profit institutions in 2012/13 (the first full academic year after the new credit standards were in place).
• Who Will Succeed and Who Will Struggle? Predicting Early College Success with Indiana's Student Information System (REL Midwest, March 2015). This study examined whether data on Indiana high school students, their high schools, and the Indiana public colleges and universities in which they enroll predict their academic success during the first two years in college. The researchers obtained student-level, school-level, and university-related data from Indiana's state longitudinal data system on the 68,802 students who graduated high school in 2010. For the 32,564 graduates who first entered a public 2-year or 4-year college, the researchers examined their success during the first two years of college using four indicators of success.
• College Enrollment and Persistence in Rural Pennsylvania Schools (REL Mid-Atlantic, April 2014). The purpose of this study was to examine the college enrollment and persistence rates of rural high schools in Pennsylvania; the types of postsecondary institutions in which students from such schools enroll; and the student, school, and college characteristics associated with enrollment and persistence outcomes. The study used extant data from the National Student Clearinghouse, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• High School Standards and Expectations for College and the Workplace (REL Central, June 2008). State standards for high schools in a majority of Central Region states cover 82 percent of the language arts topics but just 57 percent of the mathematics topics identified by both of two national studies as important for success in college and the workplace.

Videos

• Adding It Up: The Value of Education and Work Experience in Alaska (REL Northwest). This short, animated video explains how education and work experience affected the employment and wages of 40,000 young Alaskans who left school between 2005 and 2008. The video focuses on the findings in the study, Alaska students' pathways from high school to postsecondary education and employment.
• California Promise: Pathways to Student Success (REL West). This event video highlights a convening of representatives from across California who are actively working on Promise programs—chancellors, trustees, district and foundation staff, and other cross-sector partnersâ€"to share their experiences and learn from each other about promising implementation practices.
• How Students' Perspectives Can Improve Community College Programs (REL West). Community counselors are challenged daily to understand and serve their students' needs. This video describes how counselors at Saddleback Community College, with help from REL West, leveraged student voice to gain valuable insight about their students' career-counseling needs. Leveraging student voice also led to information that has helped with immediate enhancement and long-term improvement plans for the college's career-counseling program.
• The Power of High School GPA to Predict College Readiness (REL Northwest). This video shares the findings of two REL Northwest studies that found high school GPA was better than college placement test scores at predicting college course grades for recent high school graduates in Alaska. The findings suggest high school GPA should be considered as part of the college placement process.

Archived Webinars

• Setting Up for Success: Preparing High School Students for College-level Math (REL Northeast & Islands, February 14, 2019). This webinar presented research on efforts to reduce rates of student placement in college remedial mathematics. Researcher Dr. Angela Boatman shared findings from a recent impact evaluation of a pre-college remediation intervention—the Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS) program in Tennessee. Dr. Marla Davis from the Mississippi Department of Education discussed her state's experience implementing a pre-college math readiness program, including challenges, successes, and lessons learned.
• Increasing First-Generation Students' College Success Through Virtual and In-Person Individualized Advising and Support (REL Northwest, October 4, 2017). Explore two comprehensive financial and advising programs that have made substantial gains in helping underrepresented students earn a degree. The webinar begins with a brief overview of the research evidence on such programs followed by two examples of programs that have contributed to rising rates of college completion for many low-income and first-generation students. Engage with program experts and learn practical strategies you can use with high school and postsecondary students.
• Changing Developmental Math from a Gatekeeper to a Bridge: The Promise of New Math Pathways (REL Northwest, May 18, 2016). Few students who take postsecondary remedial or developmental math courses progress to college math and achieve their educational goals. This webinar recording highlights innovative strategies and policies community colleges are implementing across the country to create new developmental math pathways that use engaging content aligned to students' fields of study and reduce barriers to college success.
• Leveraging Postsecondary Data to Increase College Access (REL Northeast and Islands, September 20, 2017) This webinar explores recent research on the ways states and districts are using administrative postsecondary data, including to track graduates' postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and success. Included in the presentation are remarks from Dr. Benjamin Castleman, who discusses a low-cost, short-cycle randomized controlled trial that used postsecondary data to assess the effectiveness of an inexpensive, text message-based college-access program that aims to reduce "summer melt."
• Successful College Transition: Research, Policy, and Practice Perspectives from the USVI (REL Northeast and Islands, November 6, 2013). In support of the Virgin Islands Department of Education efforts to increase high school graduation rates and better prepare students for postsecondary success, the US Virgin Islands College and Career Readiness Research Alliance hosted this Bridge Event focused on successful college transition. The 90-minute webinar brought together education department leaders, University of the Virgin Islands faculty members, and distinguished researchers to discuss effective, research-based strategies for preparing students for college and strengthening teacher preparation and development.

Infographics

• Adding It Up: The Value of Education and Work Experience in Alaska (REL Northwest)
• Addressing Basic Needs Insecurity Among College Students (REL Northwest)
• College Enrollment and Persistence in Rural Pennsylvania Schools (REL Mid-Atlantic)
• Increasing Equity in Access to Accelerated Learning in Oregon (REL Northwest)
• Indiana's 21st Century Scholars Have Positive Early College Outcomes (REL Midwest)
• Rural and Nonrural Students: Who Planned to Go to College and Who Went? (REL Midwest)
• Soaring to College: Accelerated Learning Access, Outcomes, and Credit Transfer in Oregon (REL Northwest)
• Trends in Texas Hispanic Student Enrollment and Performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) (REL Southwest)

For more resources in ERIC on the topic of Postsecondary, click here.

For more resources in the What Works Clearinghouse on the topic of Postsecondary, click here.