Early High School Interventions to Increase Students' Access to Post-secondary Education: Experimental Impacts from the Future to Discover Project

Reuben Ford, PhD.

“From Research to Practice” Symposium, Ottawa 13-14 March 2013

The problem

Increasing the number of youth who participate in post-secondary education is an economic imperative (supporting economic growth as population ages)

Post-secondary education (PSE) is also an effective means to promote social inclusion and to reduce social and health inequalities

PSE access rates could be higher, particularly for young people in key subgroups

Lower rates of access could be due to• Lack of information about careers and relative benefits

and costs of PSE or inadequate preparation/ability to use information

• Anticipated unaffordability of PSE

It is rare to be able to identify a program that will achieve a policy objective with certainty

Future to Discover tests two interventions separately and in parallel

• EYH: Explore Your Horizons Enhanced early career education in Grades 10, 11, and 12

• LA: Learning Accounts Early guarantee of

$8,000 grant to pursue PSE for lower-income students

EYH has six career education components: 20 workshops – 2 hours after school/evening sessions

1. Career Focusing (G10) – explores career and education options matched to passions and interests

2. Lasting Gifts (G11) – helps parents to understand career development and become “career allies”

3. Future in Focus (G12) – promotes strategies to support students through transitions

4. Post-secondary Ambassadors (G10-G12) – connect with PSE students to better understand career and education planning

5. F2D Magazine (G10-G12) – 6 issues sent to home6. Web site for EYH students only (G10-G12)

EYH (enhanced career education programs) delivers workshops, magazines, Web site

LA provides an early guarantee of student aid to lower-income families

New Brunswick families with below median income (taken from both parents’ tax returns)

Account grows over Grades 10-12 Total $8,000 grant available Account closes at end of 3rd post-secondary year Early promise of aid: enter Grade 10 knowing grant

available No obligation to apply for loans

Random samples of Grade 9 students randomly assigned: 4,400 in NB and 1,000 in MB

Grade 9 students in 51 schools

New Brunswick Learning Accounts eligible

Random AssignmentExplore

Your Horizons

+ Learning Account

s

Explore

Your Horizons

New Brunswick Learning Accounts ineligible, and

Manitoba participants

Random Assignment

Explore Your

Horizons

The interventions were implemented as intended: some non-take up

Three key findings: Strong delivery

fidelity to both program models.

EYH participation declined from Grade 10 through Grade 12.

Survey in Grade 12 found low awareness among LA holders of their status. Higher among Francophone students.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

New Brunswick Francophone EYH&LA ALL

New Brunswick Francophone EYH&LA LILE

New Brunswick Francophone EYH&LA FGF

New Brunswick Anglophone EYH&LA ALL

New Brunswick Anglophone EYH&LA LILE

New Brunswick Anglophone EYH&LA FGF

New Brunswick Francophone EYH only ALL

New Brunswick Francophone EYH only LILE

New Brunswick Francophone EYH only FGF

New Brunswick Anglophone EYH only ALL

New Brunswick Anglophone EYH only LILE

New Brunswick Anglophone EYH only FGF

Manitoba EYH ALL

Manitoba EYH LILE

Manitoba EYH FGF

% attended 16-20 sessions (76-100%) Average number of sessions attended as % of all sessions % attended any session

NB Anglophone students in lower-income families: interventions increased demand for education

NB Francophone students in lower-income families: interventions increased demand for education

Manitoba students: EYH had few impacts on increasing demand for education

Interventions can make a difference on behaviour• Youth can be sensitive to quite modest interventions to make

potentially major changes in their lives Interventions could have larger impacts if:

• Steps taken to increase awareness of Learning Accounts• EYH sessions make better use of resources in the current

system Variations in impact should be expected from one population to

another Matching program to target groups as closely as possible would

increase cost efficiency of the program. Cannot ignore supply

Take aways

Career Education (EYH) should remain an important element of future interventions. Relying solely on fiscal incentives (LA) to promote PSE access may lead to sub-optimal results.

Take aways