Publications

Perna, L. W., Wright-Kim, J., & Leigh, E. (2020). Is a College Promise Program an Effective Use of Resources? Understanding the Implications of Program Design and Resource Investments for Equity and Efficiency. AERA Open. Online first: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2332858420967633

Perna, L.W., & Smith, E. (Eds., 2019). Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Rauner, M., Perna, L.W., & Kanter, M. (2019, March). California college promise: Program characteristics and perceptions from the field. San Francisco, CA: WestEd.

Perna, L.W., & Leigh, E. (2018). Understanding the promise: A typology of state and local college promise programs. Educational Researcher. Online first: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0013189X17742653

Perna, L.W., Leigh, E., & Carroll, S. (2017). “Free college:” A new and improved state approach to increasing educational attainment? American Behavioral Scientist, 61, 1740-1757. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002764217744821

Perna, L. W. (2016, October). Delivering on the promise: Structuring college promise programs to promote higher education attainment for students from underserved groups. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy. 

Presentations

May 29, 2019 College Promise Conference co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Penn AHEAD (video and materials available)

University of Delaware. 2018, October 30. Biden Challenge Plenary III - The Role of Innovation. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeOTVYbSB-I

Blog Posts

• “Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs,” Q&A with AERA volume co-editors Laura Perna and Edward Smith, originally published by the American Educational Research Association.
• The Biden Challenge, September 28, 2018
• The Conversation, December 12, 2017
• Higher Ed Today, February 13, 2017

Media Mentions

• Kenney calls for tuition-free community college in Philadelphia, but details remain vague - The Philadelphia Tribune, January 18, 2020
• 5 tips for reporting on ‘free college’ and ‘college promise’ programs - Journalist's Resource, October 7, 2019
• Go to college for free — yes, free — at these Pa. and N.J. schools - The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 15, 2019
• Popular “free college” programs yield mixed results - The Hechinger Report, October 1, 2018
• If 'Free College' Sounds Too Good To Be True, That's Because It Often Is- National Public Radio, September 12, 2018
• Keep the College Promise- U.S. News and World Report, October 17, 2017
• Here’s a Map of ‘Free College’ Programs Nationwide- Chronicle of Higher Education, March 29, 2017
• Free college didn’t die with the Clinton campaign. It’s just getting started- The Hechinger Report, March 23, 2017
• Replicating the Tennessee Promise - Inside Higher Ed, March 2, 2017
• Tennessee Promise inspires national trend - Tennessean, February 10, 2017
• U Penn Launches College Promise Online Database - Campus Technology, October 31, 2016
• New College Promise Database - Inside Higher Ed, October 25, 2016
• Will LeBron James’ Assist Actually Get Disadvantaged Youth Through College? - Diverse Issues in Higher Education, June 19, 2016

Inquiries

For more information, please contact Penn AHEAD.