Working Paper: NBER ID: w20430
Authors: Philip Oreopoulos; Robert S. Brown; Adam M. Lavecchia
Abstract: Pathways to Education is a comprehensive youth support program developed to improve academic outcomes among those entering high school from very poor social-economic backgrounds. The program includes proactive mentoring to each student, daily tutoring, group activities, career counseling, and college transition assistance, combined with immediate and long-term incentives to reinforce a minimum degree of mandatory participation. The program began in 2001 for entering Grade 9 students living in Regent Park, the largest public housing project in Toronto, and expanded in 2007 to include two additional Toronto projects. In all three locations, participation rates quickly rose, to more than 85 percent, even though parents and students were required to commit in writing to conditions and high expectations of the program. Comparing students from other housing projects before and after the introduction of the program, high school graduation and post secondary enrollment rates rose dramatically for Pathways eligible students, in some cases by more than 50 percent.
Keywords: Education; At-risk youth; High school graduation; Post-secondary enrollment
JEL Codes: I21; I23; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Pathways to Education program (I24) | high school graduation rates (I21) |
| Pathways to Education program (I24) | post-secondary enrollment rates (I23) |
| Pathways to Education program (I24) | math scores (C12) |
| Pathways to Education program (I24) | reading scores (Y10) |
| Pathways to Education program (I24) | likelihood of taking university prerequisite courses (A21) |
| Pathways to Education program (I24) | educational aspirations (I23) |