Another especially promising RCT finding of the past 18 months: Castleman and Barr’s study of Bottom Line (One-on-one advising to help low-income students get into and graduate from college). Quick take: High-quality RCT finds large (8% point) increase in 4-year college degree completion.

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Program:

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• Bottom Line is a comprehensive program that provides one-on-one advising to help students from low-income backgrounds get into and graduate from college. Advising takes place during high school senior year and continues through college for students who attend one of Bottom Line’s target colleges. Program cost is approximately $4000 per student.

 

Study Design:

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• This was a large RCT, with a sample of 2,422 low-income students at three sites: Boston, Worcester MA, and New York City. Approximately 70% of sample members were female, 64% were Black or Hispanic, and 81% were children of parents who did not attend college. The study was well-conducted (e.g., no sample attrition, good baseline balance).

 

Findings:

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• At 6-year follow-up, 55% of treatment group had completed a bachelor's degree vs 47% of controls.

• This result was statistically significant (p<0.01), and sizable effects were found at all 3 sites - providing definitive evidence of effectiveness at scale.

 

Comment:

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• Based on the strength of the study, large impact findings, and modest program cost, I believe this one of most important RCT results in history of higher education.

• Disclosure: My former employers, Arnold Ventures and Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, along with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, funded this study. Here’s a more detailed evidence summary.