Motivated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) 60×30TX strategic plan for ensuring 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 complete a postsecondary credential by 2030, this project examined the path to and through college and into the workforce for students in the Houston area and state of Texas. Strong academic supports in ninth-grade, college prep course-taking during high school, free college or tuition subsidies, and ensuring students have clear paths from education to occupations may be strategies to increase college attendance and graduation and plug the leaky educational pipeline in Harris County.
By analyzing a number of data sources and using different methodological approaches, the project developed seven products:
- Tracking Eighth-Graders' Postsecondary Outcomes in Harris County
- Transitioning to College and Work (Part 1: Where are high school seniors from 2006-2008 now?)
- Transitioning to College and Work (Part 2: A Study of Potential Enrollment Indicators)
- Transitioning to College and Work (Part 3: Labor Market Analyses in Houston and Texas)
- The Role of College Prep Course Offerings and Course-Taking in Long-Term Educational Outcomes
- School-to-Work Linkages in Texas
- Will Tuition Free College Increase College Graduation Rates?
