MPES Colloquium Talk with Kelly Hallberg 2/20

Increasing Degree Attainment among Low-Income Community College Students: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Kelly Hallberg
Scientific Director, Poverty Lab
University of Chicago

Wednesday, February 20th
12:45PM-2PM
Annenberg 303

Community colleges have the potential to be powerful vehicles for social mobility in the United States. They enroll nearly half of all post-secondary students in the U.S. and graduates who earn an associate’s degree increase the family’s income by more than 30 percent over a lifetime. However, the vast majority of students who enroll in community colleges do not receive a degree within three years. The barriers to degree attainment are multi-faceted and interconnected, spanning the financial, academic, personal, and professional domains of students’ lives. Dr. Hallberg will present the preliminary findings from a randomized controlled trial studying a comprehensive program designed to address each of these barriers. One Million Degrees (OMD) is a non-profit organization serving community college students in the Chicago metro area that supports students financially, academically, personally, and professionally through last-dollar scholarships, skill-building workshops, advising, and coaching.