Project Activities
During year 1 of the project, the partnership will draw on experience and data from an initial text messaging campaign to iteratively design and improve its text messaging platform so that it connects students to mentors who can assist them with specific challenges they are facing during the summer after graduation. A key objective of the design process is development of an algorithm that can accurately classify the topics of students' texts, respond to messages, and connect students to mentors who possess the skills to assist them. The research team will pilot the crowdsourced text-messaging platform during summer 2019. During year 2, the team will analyze data from the pilot test and refine the platform accordingly. During summer 2020, the research team will test the refined platform through a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) of students from 15 high schools connected to a team of approximately 75 mentors.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This project will take place in New York City (NYC), one of the most diverse school districts in the United States. The New York City College Advising Corps (NY CAC) serves a student population where approximately 90% of the students are eligible for free/reduced lunch and come from underrepresented minority groups.
Sample
The sample for this partnership project includes approximately 1,000 recent graduates from 15 NYC high schools who have received advising from NY CAC.
Data analytic strategy
Researchers will randomly assign half of the college-accepted graduates at each of the 15 high schools to receive the crowdsourcing application. The team will use logistic regression to assess treatment-control differences on key outcomes of interest and will also develop regression models to explore the relationship between specific mentorship experiences (via text), college-bound identity and knowledge, and enrollment decisions.
Key outcomes
The partnership aims to significantly increase college enrollment among college-accepted students through its crowdsourced mentorship application and will generate preliminary evidence of the efficacy of this digital tool.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Supplemental information
Partner Institutions: New York City College Advising Corps (NY CAC), New York University (NYU), University of California-Irvine (UCI), and City University of New York (CUNY).
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
