Post-secondary access and attainment

College students in the Detroit region face many obstacles to earning a college degree, with limited access to reliable public transportation being a major barrier to postsecondary student success. To address this challenge, with funding from the Kresge Foundation, the Youth Policy Lab is partnering with the Detroit Promise Authority Zone, the Partnership for Education Equity and Research (Detroit PEER) at Wayne State University, and Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the University of Michigan to evaluate the Detroit Promise's Catch-a-Ride Mobility Wallet pilot program. The project provides...

This project examined the characteristic of participants of Michigan Reconnect, a scholarship program that provides adults age 25 and older with tuition-free in-district community college and that is overseen by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's (MDLEO) Office of Sixty by 30. This work is part of our long partnership with MDLEO and builds upon our previous projects to study Futures for Frontliners, a similar program that provided tuition support to those in essential jobs early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research on Reconnect compared applicants to the broader pool...

Many Detroit-area students encounter significant barriers to completing a college degree, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and unexpected financial emergencies. In response, the Detroit Regional Chamber launched the Detroit Area Talent Fund (DATF) in 2023 to provide just-in-time emergency grants to students navigating time-sensitive financial challenges. The Youth Policy Lab is partnering with the Partnership for Education Equity and Research (Detroit PEER) at Wayne State University and Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the University of Michigan to assess the implementation an...

AdviseMI is a college advising program aiming to increase the number of high school students who enter and complete post-secondary education. The Lab evaluated the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) AdviseMI program, examined the fidelity to the model, and assessed the impact on the college enrollment rates for high schools where advisors are placed.

The Detroit Promise Path pilot is an add-on to the Detroit Promise scholarship program that is designed to improve student outcomes by incorporating evidence-based support components. The Lab was engaged by MDRC, the primary research organization evaluating this pilot, to provide supplemental, qualitative evaluation of the impact of this program.