Austin College Access Network

Principal Investigators:

Christopher T. King and Tara Smith

Sponsor:

TG Public Benefit Program

Research Partners:

E3 Alliance

Project Duration:

October 2011 – August 2012

Description:

In partnership with E3 Alliance, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is participating in the Central Texas College Access and Persistence Program Evaluation. The evaluation seeks to increase regional capacity to provide critical and effective support to traditionally underrepresented college students to help ensure that they enter college and persist in their studies through completion.  The project has two primary goals: 1) to increase Austin College Access Network (ACAN) member awareness of the nature and breadth of college access and persistence services offered in Central Texas and identify service gaps; and 2) to increase the capacity of ACAN member organizations for program evaluation and continuous improvement activities.

Under the project, RMC will:

• Develop a common definition of college access and persistence terms across ACAN member organizations
• Research and map the types of services offered by each organization
• Interview program and school personnel to identify service gaps and develop recommendations for expansion
• Obtain student data to compute enrollment and persistence rates
• Estimate net impacts of results against a matched comparison group
• Provide reports on process, outcome, and impact results to each participating organization, as well as a summary report for ACAN as a whole

Reports Available:

Central Texas College Access and Persistence Program Evaluation: Outcomes and Impacts Summary Report
Authors: Tara Smith and Greg Cumpton
Date: January 2013
Publication Type: Report. 72pp

Initial Evaluation Findings: Central Texas College Access and Persistence Programs
Authors: Tara Smith and Greg Cumpton
Date: May 31, 2012
Publication Type: Report. 47pp

Information Brief: Common Definitions
Author : Tara C. Smith
Date : Feb. 1, 2012
Publication Type : Information Brief. 1 pp.

The Ray Marshall Center's 2010-2011 project with the Austin College Access Network as well as available reports are accessible at this link: ACAN - "Staying Powers" Project