Comprehensive Approaches to Student Success: Community of Practice Research and Equity Agenda

The growing cost of college is one of the most significant barriers to completion. However, research shows that frequent, intensive advising, combined with financial and other support, can make a tremendous difference in helping students complete. For two years, TICAS has worked with a group of rigorously evaluated organizations across the country that provide these comprehensive approaches to student success, or CASS, by connecting students with counselors and advisors to foster personal relationships and building a customized suite of support. Along with research partners MDRC and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), TICAS convened these groups to better understand what it would take to reach all students who could benefit from these programs throughout the country. With this community of practice, TICAS created a research agenda identifying the research questions most pressing to answer at this moment in time and a framework for equity in the use of data.