A recently released report co-authored by Springpoint outlines key findings from five New England school districts around postsecondary success. The report also surfaces opportunities for districts to improve post-secondary success for all students across demographics.
The report is part of the first year of the Barr Foundation’s “Planning for Post-Secondary Success for All Students” cohort project, which includes five districts from around New England: Hartford Public Schools (CT), Malden Public Schools (MA), Manchester School District (NH), Portland Public Schools (ME), and Worcester Public Schools (MA).
These five districts each brought a deep curiosity and interest in learning about and reimagining the high school experience. A deep qualitative and quantitative analysis conducted by Springpoint and EY-Parthenon (EYP) unearthed core insights, which helped districts develop a case for change. Equipped with a clearer understanding of students’ high school experience, districts were well-positioned to develop robust plans for implementation and delve into deeper planning to stand up systems and practices that address equity and drive toward postsecondary success for all students.
Qualitative and quantitative data was collected during the fall of 2019 and winter of 2020 and the resulting report highlights and discusses rich data sets around equity, post-secondary readiness, and high school experiences.
The Springpoint team visited a representative sample of high schools in each district to gather qualitative data to uncover key insights related to the current student experience and help districts and their high schools set a clear path forward to improve this experience. Springpoint utilized a rubric rooted in research-based design principles and national best practices to guide the school observation visits.
The EYP team relied on student-level data from the districts’ student information systems to assess students’ experiences in high school and on data from the National Student Clearinghouse to assess students’ experiences in post-secondary settings. As part of this quantitative analysis, the EYP team identified two factors that appear to be most predictive of students’ likelihood to succeed in post-secondary education: student attendance and GPA.
The EYP and Springpoint teams came together with the district teams at multiple points during the year-long journey to lead the districts in an inquiry-based process to identify where the quantitative and qualitative data pointed to important conclusions or areas for further exploration. Six key findings emerged across districts as a result of this deep reflection. These findings provided a framework to guide discussions and develop recommendations for possible district actions.
Overall finding:
Equity gaps result in disparate outcomes for students across certain demographic groups.
Key Findings:
- The 9th grade year can be critical to post-secondary success.
- 8th grade “early warning indicators” (EWIs) can play a key role in predicting post-secondary success.
- For students without 8th grade EWIs, high school course failure can be a key predictor.
- Students have inconsistent access to academically rigorous & relevant learning experiences.
- The type of higher education institution plays a critical role in outcomes, but student access to different types of institutions is uneven.
The potential of these findings to inspire and inform other school districts across the country prompted our organizations and these districts to develop this public report. These insights – and the examples around how districts are taking actions to ensure all students have access to postsecondary success – are especially relevant in the emergence of a post-COVID world, especially as earning loss resulting from the pandemic is disproportionately affecting students of color.
For more, read coverage about the report’s findings in The 74.