Postsecondary Readiness

STEM Endorsement and the Pathway to College (Briefs 1-4)

This series of briefs looks at a variety of factors for students in choosing and completing the STEM endorsement in Houston ISD, including access, race, gender and academic achievement. The briefs also examine whether endorsement completion predicts college enrollment.

College and Workforce Outcomes of CTE Graduates in Houston

This series of briefs looked at CTE graduates' postsecondary education and workforce outcomes.

Understanding the Effect of HISD’s EMERGE Program on Student Outcomes

This brief examines the impact of the EMERGE program on the likelihood of participating students applying to and enrolling in selective colleges.

Equity in CTE Program Availability and Access

This study examined the availability and access to Career and Technical Education programs in HISD.

House Bill 5 and High School Endorsements: How Do They Align to College Admissions?

This policy brief describes the Texas high school graduation requirements put into effect through the passage of House Bill 5 in 2013. The brief contends the introduction of academic endorsements, similar to college majors, may create clearer paths to selective college enrollment for students studying STEM.

Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Texas Workforce

Motivated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 60×30TX strategic plan, this project examined the path to and through college and into the workforce for students in the Houston area and state of Texas.

Will tuition-free college increase college graduation rates?

This study determined the optimal tuition subsidy necessary to increase two- and four-year college graduation in Texas. The study also estimated the per pupil and total cost of potential subsidies, and compared how they might affect college graduation rates.

School-to-Work Linkages in Texas

This report examined school-to-work linkages among bachelor’s degree holders in the state of Texas. Linkage is a measure of how closely connected college majors are to specific occupations in the labor market.

Transitioning to College and Work: Labor Market Analyses in Houston and Texas (Part 3)

Part 3 of the Houston Longitudinal Study on the Transition to College and Work (HLS) examined supply and demand for labor in the Houston area and Texas; in-demand occupations and skills in the Houston area; and early career wages and unemployment receipt among high school graduates from the Houston IndependentSchool District (HISD).

Transitioning to College and Work: A Study of Potential Enrollment Indicators (Part 2)

Part 2 of the Houston Longitudinal Study on the Transition to College and Work (HLS) examined potential indicators of college enrollment school and district staff might use to identify and support students at risk of not attending college.

Who Applies to EMERGE?

In this research brief, we focus on the profiles of the 2016-2017 cohort of EMERGE applicants.

Finishing What My Parents Started: College Aspirations among EMERGE Students

This brief describes findings from interviews with high-performing high school sophomores from low-socioeconomic backgrounds who applied and were accepted into EMERGE during spring 2018, before any exposure to EMERGE programming. The goal of this study was to understand how students develop college aspirations and search for postsecondary institutions.

The Role of College Prep Course Offerings and Course-Taking in Long-Term Educational Outcomes

This study analyzes the distribution of college prep course offerings across Texas high schools and which school characteristics are associated with higher and lower numbers of college prep course offerings

Tracking Eighth-Graders' Postsecondary Outcomes in Harris County

Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) used the Houston Community Data Connections platform to track hundreds of thousands of Houston-area students' educational and professional careers for 17 years.

Transitioning to College and Work: Where are high school seniors from 2006-2008 now? (Part 1)

This research brief describes the college outcomes of three cohorts of 12th grade students in the Houston Independent School District through descriptive statistics of college enrollment, college completion and annual income.