GEAR UP North Carolina Evaluation

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant program provides support for interventions that increase college enrollment and success for low-income students.  The fourth statewide GEAR UP NC grant provides services to fifteen districts in North Carolina to address common barriers to college entry and access.  In this evaluation, EPIC provides formative information to state level GEAR UP NC staff and GEAR UP NC districts to promote continuous improvement and provides rigorous research evidence on the effectiveness of GEAR UP NC services to inform the field of college preparation and access programs. This evaluation combines interviews, surveys, and academic performance data to provide a multi-faceted look at the implementation and effects of the GEAR UP NC program. Please contact Sarah Fuller for more information.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Patterns of Postsecondary Enrollment in North Carolina

In partnership with the Education Futures Initiative and the UNC System Office, EPIC is extending our work on COVID-19 impacts into post-secondary education. With funding from the NC Collaboratory, this study describes changes along the path from high school to college for students in North Carolina during the pandemic.  Using data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the UNC System, this study will look at students’ preparation for, application to, and enrollment in UNC System institutions during and prior to the pandemic.  The results of the work should help the UNC System, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, as well as state and local leaders target research-driven policies and resources to the students who most need it as the state works to combat pandemic-related learning losses. Please contact Sarah Fuller for more information.

Do ACT WorkKeys Scores Predict College and Early Career Outcomes?

The ACT WorkKeys is an assessment taken by all CTE concentrators in North Carolina in 12th grade. It complements assessments of college academic readiness like the ACT/SAT by focusing on career-relevant skills that are broadly needed across a variety of occupations, including graphic literacy, applied math, and workplace document comprehension. This study will examine how students’ WorkKeys scores, in each domain, relate to their college enrollment and persistence, employment, and wage outcomes in early adulthood. This study is undertaken in partnership with the Labor and Economic Analysis Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce and with funding from the Urban Institute’s Student Upward Mobility Initiative. Please contact Sarah Fuller for more information.