Funded Research Projects
Co-PI: “Understanding Changes in Student Absences, Causes of Absences, and Potential Solutions Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.” (PI: Sarah C. Fuller; Co-PI: Jenny Sawada Vega).
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education have been severe and far reaching. As students begin to recover on some measures, student absenteeism has emerged as a key area of impact and concern. Although there is widespread awareness of the problem in the education community, effective intervention has been hampered by the lack of strong evidence on why student absences have increased and what this means for student and school outcomes. We will conduct a mixed methods study utilizing statewide administrative data, statewide survey data, and qualitative case studies of six schools to look at 1) the causes of increased absenteeism, 2) the impacts of absenteeism on outcomes, and 3) interventions schools are using to respond to the crisis.
Co-PI: “The (Work)Keys to Success: Do ACT WorkKeys Scores Predict Early College and Career Outcomes?” (PI: Sarah C. Fuller; Co-PI: Oleksander Movchan). Student Upward Mobility Initiative, Urban Institute. $153,050. 2024 – 2026.
The ACT WorkKeys is an assessment taken by all CTE concentrators in North Carolina in 12th grade. It complements assessments of college academic readiness like the ACT/SAT by focusing on career-relevant skills that are broadly needed across a variety of occupations, including graphic literacy, applied math, and workplace document comprehension. This study will examine how students’ WorkKeys scores, in each domain, relate to their college enrollment and persistence, employment, and wage outcomes in early adulthood. This study is undertaken in partnership with the Labor and Economic Analysis Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce and with funding from the Urban Institute’s Student Upward Mobility Initiative.
Additional Project Leadership Roles
Co-PI: “Evaluation of North Carolina’s GEAR UP Program.” (PI: Sarah C. Fuller, Co-PIs: Rosie Miesner, Rachel Rana). U.S. Department of Education and GEAR UP North Carolina. $922,619. 2020 – 2026. (*joined as co-PI in 2023).
The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant program provides support for interventions that increase college enrollment and success for low-income students. The fourth statewide GEAR UP NC grant provides services to fifteen districts in North Carolina to address common barriers to college entry and access. In this evaluation, EPIC provides formative information to state level GEAR UP NC staff and GEAR UP NC districts to promote continuous improvement and provides rigorous research evidence on the effectiveness of GEAR UP NC services to inform the field of college preparation and access programs. This evaluation combines interviews, surveys, and academic performance data to provide a multi-faceted look at the implementation and effects of the GEAR UP NC program.