Increasing Access to Postsecondary Education: Learning What Works in Canada
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Transcript of Increasing Access to Postsecondary Education: Learning What Works in Canada
Increasing Access to Postsecondary Education: Learning What Works in CanadaReuben Ford 17 April 2009 at American Educational Research Association annual meeting
Key messages Future to Discover (FTD) tests an early financial incentive, called
Learning Accounts, worth $8,000 towards the cost of post-secondary education and an enhanced career education intervention called Explore Your Horizons.
Evaluation found both interventions were implemented consistently and with fidelity to original design.
Those in receipt of interventions reported the interventions would likely make a difference to their access to PSE. No access data yet.
Impact analysis so far provides inconsistent evidence that the interventions influence access to PSE via the hypothesized logic model, possibly stronger for key subgroups. More evidence in line with the logic model when the interventions are combined.
The policy problem
High school students who could go on to access PSE are not doing so: 20-30 percent overall and higher among key sub-groups.
Problem could be due to:• anticipated unaffordability of PSE• lack of information about careers and relative benefits and costs
of PSE• inaccurate information• inadequate preparation/ability to use information
Interventions:• Learning Accounts - Early guarantee of $8000 financial support to
pursue PSE for NB students with family income below median• Explore Your Horizons - Enhanced early career education that
includes PSE as part of post-secondary planning in Grades 10,11,12 in MB and NB
Research questions
Do these interventions increase access to PSE • Overall?• For key subgroups (lower income, lower education background)• Is one or other or a combination of the two more effective?
Program logic models: Do interventions change whether, when and how students think about and plan for life after high school?
• Some answers now
Principal Outcome: Does FTD result in more students accessing PSE than existing school programming alone?
• Answers to come
Learning Accounts
Grade/Year
LA Instalments LA StatementsLA Payments for
PSE program lasting 2+ years
LA Payments for PSE program of =< 1 year
10 $2000 at end of Grade 10
Mailed upon completion of Grade 10
11 $2000 at end of Grade 11
Mailed upon completion of Grade 11
12 $4000 at end of Grade 12
Mailed upon completion of Grade 12/ Graduation along with “Request for Payment” package
Post-secondary
year 1
$2000 with confirmation of PSE enrolment; $2000 at start of winter term
$2000 with confirmation of PSE enrolment; $2000 at start of winter term
Post-secondary
year 2
$2000 at start of fall term; $2000 at start of winter term
Explore Your Horizons
Offered to cross-section of all students. Six career education components:
Career Focusing (G10) Lasting Gifts (G11) Future in Focus (G12) Post-secondary Ambassadors (G10-G12) F2D Magazine (G10-G12) Exclusive (members only) Web site (G10-G12)
20 workshops totaling 40 hours over 3 years Ordered by developmental sequence
Results from implementation 2004-20082003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10
NB 1
n=2287
Recruit
Grade 9
Year 1
Grade 10
Year 2
Grade 11
Year 3
Grade 12
PSE 1 PSE 2 PSE 3
NB 2
n=1998
Recruit
Grade 9
Year 1
Grade 10
Year 2
Grade 11
Year 3
Grade 12
PSE 1 PSE 2
MB
n=1044
Recruit
Grade 9
Year 1
Grade 10
Year 2
Grade 11
Year 3
Grade 12
PSE 1 PSE 2
Early Implementation Report
Interim Impacts Report
Final Report
Recruitment and random assignment
Project Participants
in 51 schools
New Brunswick participants, Learning
Accounts eligible
New Brunswick participants, Learning
Accounts ineligible, and Manitoba participants
Random Assignment
Comparison Group
Learning Accounts
only
Explore Your Horizons
plus Learning Accounts
Explore Your Horizons
only
Random Assignment
Explore Your Horizons
onlyComparison
group
Learning Accounts implementation during high school (New Brunswick)
Participant and parent were notified by mail, supplemented by telephone if required, about the eligibility rules for accumulating instalments.
Notification took place early in Grade 10 in order for the long-term effects of the Learning Accounts offer to be fully tested
Adequate time and Future to Discover office support was offered to participants to enable them to take part in the intervention. 93 per cent of group signed declarations.
Eligibility for each instalment was verified. 92 per cent of cohort 1 group qualified for three instalments.
Notifications of Account balances were sent at the end of each year, along with reminders of ongoing eligibility status and withdrawal packages in Grade 12.
Learning Accounts awareness during Grade 12
Low awareness of holding a “Learning Account” in the anglophone sector (38.6 per cent) and the francophone sector (58.4 per cent).
Among those Learning Accounts participants who recalled that they had a Learning Account:• The total amount of $8,000 was recalled correctly by the
majority both of francophone (82.9 per cent) and anglophone participants (77.3 per cent).
• Three-quarters (76.6 per cent of Francophone participants, and 78.4 per cent of Anglophone participants) either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “I am more likely to get more education after high school because I have a Learning Account.”
Combining EYH and LA (New Brunswick) Adding EYH significantly increased awareness of Learning
Accounts (by 10-25 percentage points) Adding LA significantly increased average number of EYH
workshops attended:
Adding LA significantly increased ever-attended EYH sessions (from 77-79 EYH only to 88-91 per cent EYH+LA)
Adding LA significantly increased the proportions reporting each type of EYH session was found very useful (by up to 15 percentage points) and reporting positive benefits from EYH (Agreeing “EYH made a difference in my life” by 23 percentage points)
EYH+LA EYH Impact
Anglophone 10.7 7.8 3.1***
Francophone 11.8 7.4 4.4***
Interim impact analysisLogic model for interventions: Increased orientation towards future activities Increased awareness of post-secondary options Increased aspirations to pursue PSE Altered expectations about role of PSE Increase in school attendance; lower school drop out rates Change in peer groups Increased graduation from high school Change in perceived worth of PSE Improved knowledge of PSE costs and financing Increased certainty of meeting costs of PSE Greater parent saving for PSE
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
Thinking and planning for the future
Increased orientation toward future activities
Thought about what you will be doing in the near future
+ +++
Strongly agree “At this point in my life, it is important for me to decide what my future career or work will be”
Parents or guardians talk to participant about his/her future education or career options at least a few times each week
-
· Increased awareness of post-secondary options
Strongly agree "I know enough about the different kinds of jobs that exist to make a choice about my future"
Strongly agree "I know my own interest and abilities well enough to decide on a future career or type of work"
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Explore Your Horizons plus Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Thinking and planning for the future
Increased orientation toward future activities
Thought about what you will be doing in the near future
+ ++ +++
Strongly agree “At this point in my life, it is important for me to decide what my future career or work will be”
++
Parents or guardians talk to participant about his/her future education or career options at least a few times each week
· Increased awareness of post-secondary options
Strongly agree "I know enough about the different kinds of jobs that exist to make a choice about my future"
Strongly agree "I know my own interest and abilities well enough to decide on a future career or type of work"
+
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
Thinking and planning for the future
· Increased orientation toward future activities
· Change in aspirations to pursue PSE
Aspires to pursue PSE + +++Aspires to pursue community college
Aspires to pursue trade/vocational
Aspires to pursue apprenticeship
Aspires to pursue university
· Change in plans to apply to pursue PSE
Know what type of programs plans to apply to
Will apply to community college - Will apply to trade/vocational ++ + ++ + Will apply for apprenticeship + + ++ Will apply to university + Will apply to "other"
· Altered expectations about PSE
Student strongly agrees "I will need to keep studying after high school to achieve what I want in life"
+ ++ ++
Getting more education after high school is very important to at least one parent + ++ +++
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Explore Your Horizons plus Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Thinking and planning for the future
Increased orientation toward future activities
· Change in aspirations to pursue PSE
Aspires to pursue PSE ++ +++
Aspires to pursue community college -
Aspires to pursue trade/vocational
Aspires to pursue apprenticeship ++
Aspires to pursue university +++ +++
· Change in plans to apply to pursue PSE
Know what type of programs plans to apply to
Will apply to community college - --
Will apply to trade/vocational
Will apply for apprenticeship
Will apply to university +++ +++
Will apply to "other"
· Altered expectations about PSE
Student strongly agrees "I will need to keep studying after high school to achieve what I want in life"
++ +++
Getting more education after high school is very important to at least one parent
++ +++ +++ +
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Changing direction in high school
· Increased interest in high school and attendance at high school
Spends less than five hours in total each week on homework and study for all courses
Statement "I am/was interested in what I am/was learning in class" true all of the time
Statement"I do/did as little work as possible; I just want/wanted to get by" never true
Absent from school for 4+ days for any reason, including skipping without permission during this school year
· Decreased rates of early high school leaving/drop-out
Still in high school
· Increased rates of high school graduation
Graduated high school within three years of assignment in province of recruitment
· Change in peer groups (i.e., composition, future orientation, and future expectations)
All friends planning to further their education or training beyond high school
No friends have dropped out of high school without graduating
+
All friends think completing high school is very important
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Explore Your Horizons plus Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Changing direction in high school
· Increased interest in high school and attendance at high school
Spends less than five hours in total each week on homework and study for all courses
Statement "I am/was interested in what I am/was learning in class" true all of the time
+
Statement"I do/did as little work as possible; I just want/wanted to get by" never true
Absent from school for 4+ days for any reason, including skipping without permission during this school year
· Decreased rates of early high school leaving/drop-out
Still in high school +
· Increased rates of high school graduation
Graduated high school within three years of assignment in province of recruitment
· Change in peer groups (i.e., composition, future orientation, and future expectations)
All friends planning to further their education or training beyond high school
No friends have dropped out of high school without graduating
++
All friends think completing high school is very important
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Improved knowledge of PSE costs and financing
· Change in perceived worth of PSE
Thinks that the cost incurred to obtain a PSE is a good long-term investment
· Increased knowledge of PSE costs, and financing
Somewhat or very familiar with student financial aid
+
Perceived university tuition $ --
Perceived college tuition $
· Increased certainty about the ability to cover PSE costs (LA)
Students report facing a financial barrier to PSE aspiration
Intends to borrow to pay for PSE
· Increased saving to meet the costs of PSE
Parents saved for participant's education -- -- --
Short-term and intermediate impacts of Explore Your Horizons plus Learning Accounts
Short-term & Intermediate Impacts
All sample LILE Parents HS or less
New Brunswick Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
New Brunswick
Francophone
New Brunswick
Anglophone
Improved knowledge of PSE costs and financing
· Change in perceived worth of PSE
Thinks that the cost incurred to obtain a PSE is a good long-term investment
· Increased knowledge of PSE costs, and financing
Somewhat or very familiar with student financial aid
+++ ++ +
Perceived university tuition $
Perceived college tuition $
· Increased certainty about the ability to cover PSE costs (LA)
Students report facing a financial barrier to PSE aspiration
Intends to borrow to pay for PSE -
· Increased saving to meet the costs of PSE
Parents saved for participant's education
Final Impact analysis
Principal outcome: Successful enrollment and completion of the first year of
chosen PSE program [Program aim] Successful completion of the chosen PSE
program
Questions related to principal outcome: Type and location of PSE? Subgroup differences Increase in PSE-related income? Do students forego other non-PSE incomes?
Reporting process
Final Impacts Report (2011)• Delivery of learning accounts• Final impacts, observed to end of (at most) 2nd post-secondary
year• Benefit-cost analysis