Charting Pathways: Three-Year Findings from the Viking ROADS Demonstration

Abstract

In community colleges in the United States, graduation rates remain frustratingly low. Students face many challenges, including the financial costs of attending college; the demands of school, work, and family; complex institutional systems; underfunded student support services; and insufficient preparation for college-level work. To address these challenges, in 2018 Westchester Community College in New York state launched Viking Resources for Obtaining Associate Degrees and Success (Viking ROADS). This student support program was based closely on the City University of New York's Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model, which has a strong track record of producing large effects on student outcomes in multiple locations. Viking ROADS offers a comprehensive and integrated three-year package of support services comprising student support, financial support, and specialized course enrollment options. Findings from a randomized controlled evaluation of Viking ROADS, conducted three years after random assignment, show that the program led to significant increases in full-time enrollment, credit attainment, and degree completion at Westchester Community College. By the end of six semesters, the program group showed a 12 percentage point increase in degree attainment over the control group. Despite the fact that much of the study took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic--a time when college learning environments transformed drastically--Viking ROADS still had considerable effects on three-year graduation rates, confirming the strength and adaptability of the ASAP model. Viking ROADS not only helped students navigate the immediate disruptions caused by the pandemic but also supported their continued academic progress and degree attainment.