UCLA

This study sought to understand the Dallas County Promise Program, a last-dollar community college Promise program introduced in Texas in 2017. I examined the implementation of the program in participating high schools, and available early evidence of changes in enrollment in two-year community college and four-year college since the program was introduced. Finally, I sought to better understand the experiences of college counseling staff and administrators implementing the program at the school level, and their perceptions of the potential impacts of the program on their students. The study involved a mixed qualitative and quantitative research design, consisting of a combination of exploratory quantitative data analysis, along with document analysis and participant interviews. Exploratory quantitative analyses examined available datasets for changes in college enrollment rates for graduates from participating high schools before and after the program’s introduction. Qualitative research methods such as interviews additionally sought to give voice to the experiences of practitioners involved in the first three cohort years, and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the implementation and outcomes of the program. The findings both support and extend what is understood about the impact of last-dollar community college Promise programs on college enrollment. Although the overall number of graduates from Promise High Schools enrolling in higher education in Texas increased since the introduction of Dallas County Promise, the increase is seen primarily in the two-year college sector. A parallel decrease in graduates enrolling in a four-year institution suggests that at least some students who would have been eligible to attend a four-year institution decided to enroll in community college instead. This type of shift in college enrollment should be examined further as the program continues to ensure alignment of program goals and outcomes for equity, especially for underrepresented minority and low-income students. My findings suggest a need to carefully consider the design of the program and offers potential suggestions for improving Dallas County Promise and similar programs to increase higher education enrollment and success for the target populations of students.