Publications

2011 Conference

Press Release:
New Experimental Study Suggests Financial Aid Enhances College Success Among the Most Unlikely Graduates
Executive Summary:
New Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Need-Based Financial Aid: Impacts of the Wisconsin Scholars Grant
Discussion Paper:
Conditional Cash Transfers and College Persistence: Evidence from a Randomized Need-Based Grant Program

Conference Videos and Powerpoints

July 7, 2011: Affordability and College Attainment in Wisconsin Public Higher Education Video
Powerpoints: Goldrick-Rab, Smeeding, Haveman, Kelchen, Witte

July 8, 2011: Affordability and College Attainment in Wisconsin Public Higher Education
Video Part 1 Powerpoints: Goldrick-Rab, Harris, Benson
Video Part 2 Powerpoints: Broton, Figueiredo-Brown, Adserias
Video Part 3 Powerpoints: Richard Kahlenberg
Video Part 4

Working Papers

Letter to Colleagues: Observations on the use of NSC data for research purposes
Sara Goldrick Rab and Douglas N. Harris

Managing to Make It: The College Trajectories of Traditional-age Students with Children
Sara Goldrick-Rab, Julie Minikel-Lacocque, and Peter Kinsley

Presentations

August 22, 2011: The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)--Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab discusses the effects of financial aid in the form of conditional cash transfers on college persistence.

March 28, 2011: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who fund this study, use WSLS research of low-income students (minutes 15:51-21:09) to describe trends reshaping higher education.
Video

March 9, 2011: UW Madison Education Forum (Part 1 of 2)
This year's UW-Madison's Department of Educational Policy Studies' Annual Conference was held on March 9, 2011. The topic of the forum was "The Obama Education Agenda" and the policies, principles, and prospects of K-12 and higher education. The event was held on the UW-Madison campus at the Education Building. This portion of the program has a talk on principles, policies and prospects in U.S. K-12 education with Doug Harris, Linn Posey, and Diana Hess. The next panel was on U.S. Higher and Postsecondary Education with Sara Goldrick-Rab and Tom DiPrete, both professors at UW-Madison in the School of Sociology. The last part of this portion of the conference had former congressman Dave Obey giving the keynote address titled, "Personal and Political Reflections on the Role of Congress and the Obama Education Agenda."
Video (Sara Goldrick-Rab speaking at 1:38:29)

February 15, 2011: Sara Goldrick-Rab speaking at event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research called "Degrees of Difficulty: Can American Higher Education Regain Its Edge?" (starting around minute 44). AEI invited Sara and ten other leading scholars on post-secondary education policy to present new research on making American higher education more productive, where she presented on the performance and potential of sub-baccalaureate programs.

On December 21, 2010 the SpecialCommittee on Review of Higher Education Financial Aid Programs met to review and discuss requested drafts and other committee options. In addition public member Sara Goldrick-Rab made a presentation.
Video (Sara Goldrick-Rab speaking at 4:25)

On August 17, 2010 WSLS co-director Sara Goldrick-Rab testified before the Wisconsin Legislature's Special Committee on Higher Education Financial Aid Programs about early findings from the study. Dr. Goldrick-Rab is also a committee member. You can review her powerpoint presentation (pdf), view the video of the presentation (part 1, part 2, Dr. Goldrick-Rab's presentation can be heard at 1:12:30 of Part 2) and read the AP story here. You can also learn more at the committee's website.