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Preparing Students for Postsecondary Success: The Effects of College Advising on College Readiness

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Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of the Carolina College Advising Corps (CCAC) on two college readiness outcomes: advanced college preparatory course enrollment and SAT test-taking behaviors. The focus of this study is on concrete college readiness measures beyond mere college aspirations, as these measures more accurately predict college success. We utilized a difference-in-differences research design, which compares treatment and comparison schools over time using pre- and post-intervention panel data. The treatment group consisted of partner high schools in North Carolina that received the CCAC treatment, and the comparison group included public schools in the state that do not have this resource. We found that the introduction of a CCAC adviser increased schools’ SAT participation rate but lowered their overall average score. The results of this work add to the growing literature on the impact of college advising professionals and may help inform goal-setting for the CCAC and similar interventions.

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Notes

  1. At statewide adoption, all juniors were required to take the ACT in Spring 2012. The SAT participation rate in our model is the percentage of high school seniors who took the SAT. Therefore, we include the 2011–2012 school year in our sample, as juniors taking the ACT in Spring 2012 would not impact the SAT participation rate of seniors that school year. Even after removing 2011–2012 from panel data, the models have very similar results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Ashley B. Clayton

  2. Center for Education Policy Research, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Rachel E. Worsham

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  1. Ashley B. Clayton
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Contributions

Ashley Clayton developed the idea for the study, and both authors conducted data analysis. Ashley Clayton took the lead role in writing the manuscript and Rachel Worsham contributed to writing several sections of the manuscript. Both authors edited, read, and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ashley B. Clayton.

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The authors have no competing financial interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. The second author was formally employed with the Carolina College Advising Corps, but not at the time the study was conducted. This work was not completed in collaboration with the Center for Education Policy Research and does not reflect the views of the Center.

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Clayton, A.B., Worsham, R.E. Preparing Students for Postsecondary Success: The Effects of College Advising on College Readiness. Innov High Educ 49, 1–24 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09664-7

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