New AERA Book Examines the Landscape and Effects of College Promise Programs

A new AERA volume Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs edited by Laura W. Perna and Edward J. Smith has been released on December 11, 2019.

Also known as “free tuition” and “free college” programs, college promise programs are an emerging approach for increasing higher education attainment of people in particular places. To maximize the effectiveness of their efforts and investments, program leaders and policymakers need research-based evidence to inform program design, implementation, and evaluation. With the goal of addressing this knowledge need, this volume presents a collection of research studies that examine several categories and variations of college promise programs. These theoretically grounded empirical investigations use varied data sources and analytic techniques to examine the effects of college promise programs that have different design features and operate in different places. Individually and collectively, the results of these studies have implications for the design and implementation of promise programs if these programs are to create meaningful improvements in attainment for people from underserved groups. The authors’ efforts also provide a useful foundation for the next generation of college promise research.

• See the AERA's Press Release and preview the book's contents
• Watch Laura and Ed discuss their work