Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Magnolia Consulting. (2016). Coconino County Community College TAACCCT grant: Final report. Retrieved from: https://www.skillscommons.org/handle/taaccct/15564
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to assess the impact of the CCC2NAU program on students’ education outcomes.
- Using college administrative data, the authors conducted a nonexperimental study to compare education outcomes of CCC2NAU participants to a matched comparison group.
- The study found that a significantly larger proportion of participants in the treatment group transferred to a 4-year college, were retained in the program, earned a two-year degree, and earned an Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) certificate, relative to the comparison group.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented nonexperimental design. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to CCC2NAU, but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
CCC2NAU
Features of the Intervention
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program provided $1.9 billion in grants to community colleges to improve skills and support employment in high-demand industries, notably manufacturing, health care, information technology, energy, and transportation. Through four rounds of funding, DOL awarded 256 TAACCCT grants to approximately 800 educational institutions across the United States and its territories.
The CCC2NAU program was funded by TAACCCT and was jointly developed by Coconino Community College (CCC) and Northern Arizona University (NAU). The program aimed to encourage CCC students to earn credentials or transfer to NAU. The program participants were mostly first-generation students, and were relatively older students. The program was designed to address barriers students encounter in transferring from a two- to a four-year college. The program offered students one-on-one advising that helped with education planning and the process of transferring. The program also provided information sessions and a workshop focused on transferring. Students had the option to do dual enrollment at NAU, which allowed them to be housed at NAU, have an NAU student ID, and be able to attend NAU events. Some students could transfer to NAU before completing their associate's degree and earn that degree while at NAU. Students could receive scholarships and had their application fee to NAU covered.
Features of the Study
The authors used a nonexperimental design to compare the outcomes of students who enrolled in the CCC2NAU program in Fall 2012 to those who were not enrolled in the program. To be included in the treatment group, students needed to meet five requirements: (1) not enrolled at NAU in the past 10 years; (2) not transition to NAU in the first term; (3) have a high school diploma or GED but no bachelor’s degree; (4) attended NAU information session; and (5) applied and enrolled in CCC during first term of application. The comparison group were students at CCC who started in the same semester as the treatment group, and who met program eligibility criteria, but did not participate in the program. The authors matched CCC2NAU participants to similar nonparticipants using propensity scores developed from demographic and education information. Study participants included 211 students in the treatment group and 210 students in the comparison group after matching. Using college administrative data, the authors conducted statistical analyses and models with controls for student characteristics to examine differences in outcomes. Outcomes included transfer rates to a four-year college, program retention rates, and rates of credential attainment (two-year degree or AGEC certificate).
Findings
Education and skills gain
- The study found that a significantly larger proportion of students in the treatment group transferred to a four-year college (difference of 27 percentage points), were retained in the program (difference of 15 percentage points), earned a two-year degree (difference of 7 percentage points), and earned an AGEC certificate (difference of 11 percentage points), relative to the comparison group.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Although the authors used a well-implemented nonexperimental design, program participants self-selected into the CCC2NAU program. Students who self-selected into the program could differ in observable and unobservable ways, affecting the outcomes.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented nonexperimental design. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to CCC2NAU, but other factors might also have contributed.