Postsecondary Credentials Research Articles

The importance of academic advising for dual credit and early college high school students

AbstractAcademic advising for dual credit and early college high school students is significant to postsecondary matriculation and degree completion of these students after high school graduation. Unstructured advising can lead students to take excess credits and have an unclear path to a postsecondary credential. This study focused on the importance of academic advising, ensuring a clear path is identified for each student participating in a dual credit or early college high school program. A qualitative survey identifying high school personnel's understanding of advising, needs to better serve students, and current challenges facing high school counselors is discussed. Quantitative data landscapes student demographics and attempted versus completed credits for both dual credit and early college high school students at multiple high schools. Practitioner recommendations underscore the need for college advising by a college advisor who is familiar with the college advisement process versus a high school counselor who focuses on high school completion needs.

Experimental Estimates of College Coaching on Postsecondary Reenrollment

Abstract College attendance has increased significantly over the last few decades, but dropout rates remain high, with fewer than half of all adults ultimately obtaining a postsecondary credential. This project investigates whether one-on-one college coaching improves college attendance and completion outcomes for former income state aid recipients identified as low- and middle-income who attended college but left prior to earning a degree. We conducted a randomized control trial with approximately 8,000 former students in their early to mid 20s. Half of the participants assigned to the treatment group were offered the opportunity to receive coaching services from InsideTrack, with all communication done remotely via phone or video. Intent-to-treat analyses based on assignment to coaching show no impacts on college enrollment and we can rule out effects larger than a 2 percentage point (5 percent) increase in subsequent Fall enrollment.

Diseases of despair in early adulthood: The complex role of social relationships.

"Diseases of despair," most prominently depressive and substance-related problems, diminish the prospects of many young adults, especially those with lower levels of education. Yet many young adults in that situation avoid these problems. Close relationships are thought to be a key factor underpinning risk and resilience among this group. To examine this premise, this study explored links, beyond potential confounders assessed in adolescence, between strengths and strains in the social domain and markers of despair in the early and mid-20s in a Canadian sample overrepresenting youth without postsecondary credentials (N = 543, 52% male, 23% non-White). Having a good general ability to maintain supportive relationships was associated with fewer depressive and substance-related symptoms. Furthermore, support and less strain in relationships with parents and friends were associated with fewer depressive symptoms in the early and mid-20s, while for romantic relationships, associations with depressive symptoms became more consistent and robust in the mid-20s. Therefore, support and strains in romantic relationships gradually gained prominence as a determinant of depressive symptoms as youth advanced in adulthood. For substance-related problems, significant associations emerged for strains in friendships only, in both the early and mid-20s. These results suggest that multiple aspects of relationships pose a risk for or protect from the development of diseases of despair in early adulthood and that their relative importance changes depending on outcomes and developmental timing. Thus, facilitating meaningful social connections and reducing the prevalence and impact of relationship strains might contribute to preventing diseases of despair among youth with lower educational attainment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Three-Year Outcomes for Low-Income Parents of Young Children in a Two-Generation Education Program

Increasingly, parents of young children need postsecondary credentials to compete in the labor market and meet basic family needs. This study uses a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of CareerAdvance, a two-generation education intervention that offers postsecondary career training in healthcare for parents paired with Head Start for children. Overall, we find that CareerAdvance promotes low-income parents’ educational advancement during the first three years after program entry, with weaker evidence of benefits to career progress and psychological wellbeing, and no evidence of economic gains. The two-generation program promotes greater educational and career advancement among parents without postsecondary credentials at baseline, than for parents who began the program with postsecondary credentials. In contrast, exploratory analyses suggest that parents entering the program with postsecondary credentials experienced benefits to some individual markers of economic and psychological wellbeing within three years.

Toward capabilities for adult working learners in Canada and the United States

AbstractThis article focuses on adult working learners who attend postsecondary institutions in Canada and the United States. We identify how these institutions deliver curriculum and instruction in the form of career‐technical education (CTE) and vocational education offering occupational credentials. In British Columbia and the U.S., most vocational programming culminates in the associate degree whereas the rest of Canada commonly confers diplomas as well as associate degrees. Other postsecondary credentials, including certifications and licensure, are integrated within programs in both countries. This chapter analyzes policies, programs, and practices for adult working learners in the two countries and provides perspectives on how a focus on the capabilities of adult working learners is beneficial to the needs of the individual, communities, and society as a whole.

Ensuring student-centered value with skills-denominated credentials

PurposeThe global labor market has been upended and a new landscape has emerged. New models for ensuring the value and relevance of post-secondary education are needed. Learners need better understanding of the value and relevancy which the education provides and more immediate return on the educational investment. Education providers must ensure the relevance of the credentials. Employers require transparency into skills an individual possesses based on the credentials they hold. New models are needed to guide an understanding of credentials so that all have equitable pathways to opportunity. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.Design/methodology/approachThe authors in this paper discuss how Western Governors University implemented a Unified Credential Framework (UCF) for ensuring credentials are relevant, verified, transparent and portable. The UCF is predicated on the use of skills as an underlying foundation.FindingsUsing a structured theory for understanding skills and micro-credentials creates more transparency into what post-secondary credentials represent, and the value they hold for individuals, employers and education providers.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper represents a use case where the proposed solution is still emergent. Additional research is warranted as longitudinal data become available on student outcomes and impacts.Originality/valueThis paper presents a model that any organization can implement for clearer line of sight into the value and relevance of post-secondary credentials.

Stackable credentials benefit low‐income students

Low‐income students are more likely to earn, and benefit from, stackable credentials, or “a series of postsecondary credentials that can be earned over time and that build on each other to prepare individuals for different needs for knowledge and skills throughout a career,” than their peers, according to a new report from the RAND Corporation, a nonpartisan policy think tank, and researchers from the University of Michigan.

Linkage Between Fields of Focus in High School Career Technical Education and College Majors

This study examines the extent to which students obtain postsecondary credentials in the career technical education (CTE) fields of focus they choose in high school. Using school fixed-effects models, we find that focusing on a particular CTE field in high school is associated with an increased probability of enrolling and obtaining a postsecondary credential in that field. The secondary–postsecondary relationship varies across focus areas, and it is strongest in health (increase of 12.5 percentage points), which is disproportionately chosen by females. Across all fields of focus, however, most students enroll and obtain a postsecondary credential in fields that are different from what they focused on in high school.

The student success center network provides national infrastructure for supporting and scaling reform

AbstractThe Student Success Center Network (SSCN) is dedicated to advancing racial justice and economic mobility by dramatically and equitably increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials with labor market value. Managed by Jobs for the Future, the SSCN has worked since 2012 to develop, implement, and scale student success strategies nationally. Each of the 16 statewide Student Success Centers supports community colleges in its state to increase student completion rates, close equity gaps, and strengthen communities. Throughout its history, the SSCN has evolved from a loose association of a few organizations to a powerful “network of networks” that collectively serves over 500 colleges and drives student success reforms, such as Guided Pathways, on a national scale. As the Network grows in size and maturity, it has strengthened its impact as a vehicle for supporting and scaling reform and evolved to meet the changing needs of learners.

Supporting student success centers to overcome common equity challenges

AbstractStudent Success Centers (SSC) belong to a national network dedicated to increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials. SSCs use a variety of methods and strategies to help states within the network achieve these goals. This chapter focuses on practical ways for student success centers to help colleges navigate the complexities of addressing issues within diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with a primary focus on equity. Using the eight most common equity challenges as a framework, this article addresses each challenge and then provides pragmatic solutions to overcome those challenges.

The Association of Education with Entrepreneurial Propensity and Entrepreneurial Income of Recent Canadian Graduates: A Tax Data Analysis

This work examines the association of post-secondary credentials and fields of study on the earnings of recent university graduates and their propensity to become entrepreneurs. To this end, we analyze an administrative database that links post-secondary records from public educational institutions in Canada with income tax records from the Canadian Revenue Agency. The findings of this analysis showed that entrepreneurs who hold a PhD tend to earn significantly more than those who do not, and that certain fields of study tend to be associated with higher incomes. However, the results also showed that the odds of entering entrepreneurship decrease as higher credential levels are achieved. Thus, this research further demonstrates the potential relationship between education and entrepreneurial success.

Community College Skills Builders: Prevalence, Characteristics, Behaviors, and Outcomes of Successful Non-Completing Students Across Four States

ABSTRACT This study investigates community college skills builders—students who enroll for a short time, take courses concentrated in career and technical education (CTE), are highly successful in their coursework, but typically leave college without a postsecondary credential. Drawing on administrative data from Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, and California, we use k-means cluster analysis to identify a distinct group of skills builders in each state. We analyze their prevalence, characteristics, course-taking, and educational and labor market outcomes. We then develop criteria that state systems or individual institutions can use to identify skills builders in their student populations. Skills builders comprised similar proportions of students in each state, between 11 and 14 percent, and were qualitatively similar across states. Their average earnings were flat or trending downward prior to college but reversed after college, rising at a statistically significant rate. Fields of study and certificate completion rates among skills builders varied across states. Identifying skills builders will strengthen state and institutional efforts to communicate student successes that cannot be measured with credential completions, while also equipping institutions with the information needed to better serve skills builders.

The relationship between postsecondary education and adult health behaviors

Nearly 80% of American adults between the ages of 33-44 have at least some postsecondary education, which ranges from vocational training to a doctorate or professional degree. However, in education-health studies, postsecondary credentials are often grouped into a limited number of categories. This is an important omission as it obscures differentiations between the various types of postsecondary credentials. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of disparities in health behaviors across detailed levels of postsecondary education. Data comes from Wave 5 of the 2018 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). A covariance-weighting technique is used to produce behavioral index scores that identify the full spectrum of health behaviors influenced by postsecondary educational attainment. Estimates are initially produced in aggregate for the total sample population, with interaction models subsequently being used to test differences across gender and race/ethnicity population subgroups. The aggregate results indicate that adults with at least a bachelor's degree exhibit healthier lifestyles; however, no difference is observed among adults with lower-level postsecondary credentials, compared to high school graduates. Women experience steeper gradients at higher levels of postsecondary education, compared to men. Both White and Hispanic American adults exhibit comparable health lifestyles across levels of postsecondary education; however, Black Americans were found to experience no returns except at the doctorate or professional degree level. These findings have important implications particularly as adults in their thirties and forties continue to exhibit troubling health and mortality trends.

Best practices for recruiting, retaining diverse adult students at community colleges

A new report points out the disparity in earning a bachelor's degree between white Americans and Americans of color, and offers solutions for campuses looking to close equity gaps in degree attainment in higher education. The report, “Strategies for Improving Postsecondary Credential Attainment Among Black, Hispanic, and Native American Adults,” was produced by the Community College Research Center and the Lumina Foundation, and examines data from three different studies.

Money Matters: Factors Associated with Receipt of Financial Aid Among Youth Who have Experienced Foster Care

Despite high aspirations, youth formerly in foster care may face significant barriers (e.g., academic preparedness, adult mentoring) to obtaining a postsecondary credential. Better understanding the relationship between affordability and postsecondary access for youth formerly in foster care (YFFC) merits attention from researchers because finances often present a barrier to success for this population of students. This exploratory study asks the question: What factors influenced whether YFFC received financial aid and do those factors change over time? Using event history analysis and national longitudinal on foster care and youth outcomes, we explore what factors impact whether a YFFC receives financial aid.

COVID-19 and Alternative Postsecondary Learning

The coronavirus pandemic has induced an increase in remote activity. Prior research shows that a variety of K-12 educational practices, public preferences, policies, and outcomes have changed as a result of the pandemic. This paper extends the literature on the impact of coronavirus on education to solve for the lack of analysis on professional certifications and other unaccredited postsecondary credentials. This paper investigates the results of an original online questionnaire (n = 350) to understand the effects of COVID-19 on support for alternative postsecondary learning. Respondents are U.S. citizens over the age of 18. Cross-sectional analysis using ordinary least squares (OLS) and Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares (IRLS) indicates that individual perception of a large negative impact from coronavirus is significantly correlated with higher favorability to alternative credentials. Analysis indicates that important control factors include industry, ethnicity, and state of residence. Age, gender, income, and level of education are insignificant.

Stratification in Post-Secondary Education and Self-Rated Health among Canadian Adults

Two-thirds of Canadian adults have post-secondary credentials, ranging from trade certificates to bachelor’s and advanced degrees. Yet, little is known about health across these levels, partly because the extensive literature on the education–health gradient has often grouped all post-secondary credentials into one or two broad categories. This is an important gap because it obscures social stratification at the post-secondary level. We provide the first comprehensive study of health across educational attainment levels in Canada, focusing on detailed post-secondary credentials. Data from the 2014–2016 Canadian General Social Survey for adults aged 25 years and older are used to assess self-rated health as a function of educational credentials for the total population and major population groups in relative and absolute terms, and to examine potential mechanisms that could explain the observed patterns. Analyses reveal substantively large, statistically significant differences in health across post-secondary credential levels: the predicted probability of reporting very good or excellent health is 49 percent among adults with trade certificates but 66 percent among those with advanced degrees. Such differences are evident in most although not all population groups. Taking into account social, economic, health–behavioural, and other covariates attenuates the post-secondary credential–health gradient by about 60 percent. Our findings highlight the importance of stratification in post-secondary credentials and the resulting health disparities. Understanding the reasons and implications of these disparities is important for educational, health, and social justice policies.

Do MOOCs Make You More Marketable? An Experimental Analysis of the Value of MOOCs Relative to Traditional Credentials and Experience

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are marketed as opportunities for participants to improve their labor market outcomes, and tens of thousands of students have paid for career-focused MOOC certificate programs. However, there is limited and conflicting research on MOOCs and labor market outcomes. Using two randomized control trials, we test Amazon’s Mechanical Turk respondents’ preferences for hiring hypothetical freelance web developers. In the first experiment, we examine preferences for profiles with MOOCs as compared to profiles with traditional degrees (bachelor’s, associates, and community college certificates). Respondents preferred all traditional degrees over a MOOC; MOOCs do not serve as substitutes for traditional postsecondary credentials. In the second experiment, we examine preferences for MOOCs as compared to no listed credential. Results demonstrate a 61–percentage point preference for MOOC credentials compared to no MOOC credential; the preference does not vary across levels of professional experience.

What Happens When You Combine High School and College? The Impact of the Early College Model on Postsecondary Performance and Completion

Early colleges are a new model of schooling in which the high school and college experiences are merged, shortening the total amount of time a student spends in school. This study uses a lottery-based experimental design to examine the impact of the model on longer term outcomes, including attainment of a postsecondary credential and academic performance in 4-year institutions. Results show that a significantly higher proportion of early college students were attaining postsecondary credentials. The results also show that early college students were completing their degrees more rapidly but that their performance in 4-year institutions was still comparable with the control students.

Case Study: Career Pathways in Rural Kansas Redesign Schools

A country's productivity and economic competitiveness relies upon education, specifically postsecondary training which is fundamental to students' upward mobility in a thriving and progressive economic culture (Haunshek & Woessmann, 2012; Bailey, Jaggars, & Jenkins, 2015). In order to maintain the economic stability of the United States for future generations to come, job qualifications will require that at least 71% of careers in the 21st century be accompanied by a vocational certificate or licensure, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree by the year 2020 (Lindsay, J., Davis, E., Stephan, J., Bonsu, P., & Narlock, J., 2016). Despite several years of state and national efforts, the United States is not producing enough adults with the prescribed postsecondary credentials to meet the national workforce requirements (Bidwell, 2015). “Knowledge and skills remain paramount for the prosperity of our nation’s economy, but as we move further into the 21st century, some form of postsecondary learning and credential attainment is necessary to hold a good job, contribute as a citizen, raise a family, and contribute in meaningful ways to communities” (Bailey et al., 2015). Career and Technical Education (CTE) must become a national priority in secondary and postsecondary education to ensure the United States will continue to compete on a global scale in the 21st century and beyond.