Enrolling children in college is not enough

Massachusetts’ universally free community college program achieved one important goal: it increased college enrollment.

After years of decline, university student numbers rose by 8.7% in 2023 – the first year of free study for students over 25 – followed by an expected 14% increase in the autumn, according to data preliminary data published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Higher Education. Overall, enrollment at public universities was expected to grow 6.5% this year, reversing years of declines, with enrollment rates essentially unchanged at the University of Massachusetts and a 1.2% increase at other state universities.

But another challenge facing education officials and colleges is keeping students in school until graduation. There, the latest data is much less encouraging. According to data, only 55.1 percent of students entering Massachusetts public colleges will complete a degree or certificate anywhere in the United States within six years. DHE.

In higher education, only 34 percent of students who started in 2017 would graduate or be certified by 2023, a number that has remained steady for the past six years. At state universities (excluding UMass), for several years there has been a downward trend in the number of students who earn credits on time, persist year after year, and graduate. For the 2017 entering class, 69 percent earned a degree or certificate within six years, up from 72.9 percent five years earlier. UMass fares best in this regard, with 77.4 percent of students earning a degree within six years.

The data also shows persistent racial disparities, with fewer black and Latino students graduating from public colleges compared to white students. Lower-income students – eligible for federal Pell Grants – also have lower graduation rates than higher-income students.

Completion is important because a person who earns a degree or certificate is more likely to find a job and earn a higher salary. Report conducted by The Boston Foundation, MassINC and the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy found that community colleges offer a path to economic mobility that brings the greatest benefits to those who earn a degree.

So how can schools better retain students? Two key ways are to provide students with financial resources for their education and to provide comprehensive support services – such as academic advising and mentoring – to help students develop.

The state has already invested in affordability by making community colleges tuition-free and increasing financial aid for low- and moderate-income state university students. Perhaps more could be done to expand aid eligibility for middle-income students or offer larger scholarships for needs like child care and transportation. A recently published report by state Advisory Council on Developing Representation in Education suggests using financial aid to encourage full-time work and increase the availability of need-based rather than merit-based aid.

It is equally important to focus on support services. Advisory board report calls for evidence-based services such as individualized counseling and coaching, mental health care, emergency financial assistance, and help with issues such as housing and food insecurity.

Some of this work is ongoing. In 2021, the Legislature created a scholarship program to support students who are economically disadvantaged, first-generation, minority, disabled or from the LGBTQ community. Early results are promising. A study by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges found that 63 percent of 2022 program participants persisted in their studies year after year, compared to 53 percent of their peers.

The current state budget includes $14 million to award similar scholarships at four-year state universities for the first time. This is a good thing. Vincent Pedone, executive director of the Council of Massachusetts State University Presidents, said campuses are working on ideas for how to use the money, including purchasing software for early warning systems to identify struggling students, hiring academic coaches and offering emergency money if a student needs financial aid. or training staff in working with first-generation students.

One model worth checking out is in New York. The City University of New York created the ASAP program in 2007, which provides students with three years of financial support and intensive academic support in graduate school if they attend school full-time and participate in programs. After three years, 40 percent of ASAP participants earned an associate’s degree, compared with 22 percent of comparable non-participants, according to data. independent study. After eight years, 52 percent of ASAP participants had earned an associate’s degree compared to nearly 40 percent of their peers.

A version of the program for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree was piloted at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2015, and test found similarly positive results when it came to helping students stay in school.

Three community colleges in Ohio that have adopted programs modeled after ASAP reports Increases of 50 percent graduation rates, higher bachelor’s degree completion rates, and higher post-college earnings.

A group of education organizations in Massachusetts – Hildreth Institute, Latinos for Education, EdTrust and others – he insisted Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler to learn from programs in New York. Supporters told the editorial board that New York’s programs are more centralized and standardized than those in Massachusetts, with all colleges implementing the same evidence-based practices, such as hiring dedicated ASAP advisors, career counselors and tutoring services.

Another potential model is Georgia State University, which uses predictive analytics and tracks each student’s course registration and performance through software. The system flags when a student is enrolling in a course that is not related to his or her degree or receiving a poor grade in a required course. The advisor will intervene so that the student can enroll in another course or seek academic assistance.

The first step is to encourage students to enter college. The goal should be to get them out of college with a degree two or four years later.

Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe editorial board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.