The roles of Campus-Support Programs (CSPs) and Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) on college persistence for youth with foster care histories

Abstract

Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) and campus support programs (CSPs) are two interventions designed to support postsecondary education persistence for college students with foster care backgrounds. The federal ETV program provides foster youth up to $5000 per year for college expenses, while CSPs provide an array of on-the-ground services to foster youth enrolled in a college. The ETV program and CSPs have existed for nearly two decades, yet little research has evaluated their impacts on postsecondary education outcomes. This study draws on data from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH) and the National Student Clearinghouse to examine the roles that ETVs and CSPs play in promoting college persistence for foster youth. The sample includes 401 CalYOUTH Study participants who had enrolled in college. We first examine predictors of ETV receipt and CSP involvement. Logistic regression is then used to assess the associations between these two interventions and the expected odds of persistence, controlling for a wide range of youth characteristics, educational background and foster care history characteristics, county services, and postsecondary institution characteristics. About 41% of youth received an ETV, half (52%) enrolled in a CSP, and less than half (45%) persisted through their first two semesters. ETV receipt and CSP involvement were both found to increase the expected odds of persistence. These early findings are encouraging and suggest that investments in higher education for foster youth pay off at least in the short run. However, the current analysis was not a formal intervention study, and more rigorous research is needed.