College Ready? A Longitudinal Study of the Effectiveness of AVID, GEAR UP, and Upward Bound on College Degree Completion

Abstract

American high schools must graduate more students who are college-ready. The employment market for adults with only a high school diploma is rapidly shrinking (Parikh, 2013). The United States is facing a shortage of educated adults who will be needed to fill the estimated 60% of jobs that will require a four-year degree by year 2025 (Conley, 2014; Dyce, Albold, & Long, 2013; Schaefer & Rivera, 2012; Varee, 2008). Studies have shown that educational programs exist on the high school level that can increase the academic achievement of underperforming students and effectively prepare them for college (Beer, Le Blanc, & Miller, 2008; Bernhardt, 2013: Bosworth, Convertino, & Hurwitz, 2014; Campbell, 2010; Ghazzawi & Jagannathan, 2011; Mendoza, 2014). But how do these students fare once they get into college? Do they persist? Do they complete a 4-year degree? If yes, how long does it take them to complete their degree and graduate? The purpose of this study was to answer these questions by comparing the college enrollment and degree completion rates of students who participated in AVID, GEAR UP, Upward Bound, or both GEAR UP and Upward Bound, and students who did not participate in a college preparatory program during high school. Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 was used for this study and tracked students up to eight years post-high school graduation. Results from this study show that AVID students attain their 4-year degree eight years post high school graduation at a higher rate than students in all other groups. This finding was statistically significant and contributes to the growing pool of research that suggests that AVID is an effective program for increasing the likelihood that first-generation college-going students, students from lower-socio economic families, and students from subgroups traditionally underrepresented in higher education are better prepared for the rigors of a college education and complete their 4-year college degrees in a timely manner.