“Incentives and Services for College Achievement: Evidence from a Randomized Trial” Angrist, Joshua, Daniel Lang and Phillip Oreopoulos; IZA, 2007.

Description: This is a report on a randomized field experiment designed to improve academic performance among entering full-time undergraduates.  Two strategies were used. Results suggested a combination of the two strategies can have lasting affects on study skills.

“Effective College Access, Persistence, and Completion Programs, and Strategies for Underrepresented Populations: Opportunities for Scaling Up” Spradlin, Terry E., et al.; Center for Evaluation & Education Policy, 2010.

Description: This research includes a literature review of three major non-academic areas that are tied to student persistence, including financial, psychological, and institutional.  It also evaluates Indiana’s Community College system and that state's experience participating in programs like Complete College America and Achieving the Dream.  The literature review includes information about transition programs, mentoring, and learning communities.

“Paying for College Success: An Introduction to Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration” MDRC Policy Brief, October 2009.

Description: This policy brief outlines MDRC’s evaluation of four different states implementing performance-based scholarship programs (Ohio, New York, New Mexico, California) with brief descriptions of each program’s design and intended results.

 “Rewarding Progress, Reducing Debt: Early Results from Ohio’s Performance-Based Scholarships for Low-Income Parents” Cha, Paulette and Reshma Patel; MDRC, 2010.

Description: This is an analysis of the early results of Ohio’s Performance-Based Scholarships program one year after implementation.  The analysis shows that the program had a positive impact on enrollment, credits attempted and earned, and reducing educational debt; however, the study did not find a strong impact on persistence.