Research Branch Reports

The College and Career Readiness and College Completion Act (CCR-CCA) of 2013 (Chapter 533, Senate Bill 740, 2013) passed the Maryland General Assembly in 2013 with the goal of improving college and career outcomes for Maryland students. One policy included in the legislation was a tuition cost reduction for select high school students who dually enroll in college courses. This study used data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) to examine the effect of the cost reduction in tuition for dual enrollment on dual enrollment uptake, with a particular focus on low-income students who were eligible for free/reduced price meals (FARMS), as these students are under-represented in the dual enrollment population in Maryland. A difference-in-differences (DD) approach was used and, overall, dual enrollment increased over this period for all subgroups of students. Among students who were likely eligible for dual enrollment (i.e., students who graduated with a 3.0 or higher GPA), FARMS-eligible students, who saw larger tuition decreases after CCR-CCA, had larger increases in the rates of any dual enrollment (11th or 12th grades) and dual enrollment in 11th grade. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the role of homelessness above and beyond the role of poverty alone in contributing to academic and workforce outcomes. Linked longitudinal data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) and multiple membership multilevel models (Chung & Beretvas, 2012) were used to help disentangle student and school factors to determine the relevant importance of each across a number of outcomes, including high school dropout and graduation, standardized test scores, college enrollment, and annual workforce wages. Academic outcomes for students experiencing homelessness were significantly worse than those for similar, stably housed students experiencing only poverty. Workforce outcomes in terms of total wages earned in the first year after on-time high school graduation were no different for students who had experienced homelessness compared to those who experienced poverty without homelessness. The current study expanded on prior research by distinguishing the roles of poverty and homelessness in relation to longer-term academic and career outcomes. This report also includes policy implications and directions for future research.
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This report used data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) to better understand the characteristics of public school teachers prepared for the teaching profession in Maryland, their employment patterns, and the relationship between their employment patterns and attrition from teaching. This analysis offers a first step in identifying the types of teachers and the employment characteristics associated with attrition from teaching, so that initial levers for policy, prevention, and intervention can be identified to ultimately retain teachers in the profession and mitigate attrition. Report Link

This paper provides an overview of the four year research project conducted by the MLDS Center Research Branch that evaluated the feasibility of developing synthetic data from the Center's actual data. Report Link

This report estimates the effect of completing a sequence of Career and Technology Education (CTE) courses in high school on enrollment in postsecondary education, graduation within five years, and workforce wages in the sixth year. Report Link

This report examines Maryland’s Howard P. Rawlings Educational Assistance (EA) grant and uses the fact that eligibility for the grant is determined by a definite threshold of financial need as a natural experiment to estimate a causal effect of receiving the EA Grant for bachelor’s degree-seeking students. Using data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System on students who enter four year programs from the 2008-2009 to 2015-2016 academic years, this report finds that EA Grant receipt increases the likelihood that an entering student will persist through the fourth year, with similar sized effects for graduation within five years, and positive effects on workforce wages after graduation. The report also shows that while this positive effect does not appear to vary by other demographic characteristics, it does provide several pieces of evidence that the effects are larger for lower-income students. Additionally, this report also finds that institutions reduce the amount of institutional grant aid awarded to students and that students take out smaller loans amounts in response to an EA Grant. Policy implications for need-based grant aid programs and directions for future research are discussed. Report Link Appendix Link

This report examined the roles of student- and school-level poverty and race/ethnicity on long-term educational and career outcomes. Prior research indicates that poverty has negative effects on academic and career outcomes, and in the United States, concentrated levels of poverty occur within neighborhoods and subsequently schools. The current study builds on past research in several ways. First, poverty was measured using duration of student poverty in 6th -12th grades to reduce some of the limitations typically associated with using student eligibility for free and reduced price meals (FARMS) as a proxy to measure poverty. Second, multiple membership multilevel modeling was used to account for all schools a student attended between middle and high school. Findings indicated that students with longer durations of poverty performed more poorly on academic and workforce outcomes, compared to similar students with shorter durations of poverty in similar schools. Additionally, students attending schools with concentrated levels of poverty typically performed more poorly on academic and workforce outcomes, compared to similar students in similar schools with lower concentrations of poverty. For some outcomes, the gap in outcome due to race/ethnicity disappeared or even reversed after controlling for student and school concentrated poverty. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed. Report Link

Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides students with specialized instruction designed to culminate in an industry-recognized credential or open a pathway to higher education. These programs may be particularly important in the health care sector, which often requires specialized instruction and has a large existing demand for qualified workers. While CTE programs in general have been found to have mixed effects on postsecondary enrollment, degree completion, and workforce wages, studies that have examined students who completed health-related CTE programs have found positive effects on these outcomes. This report contributes to this literature by using data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) to examine the effect of completing a health-related CTE program on college enrollment, enrollment in a health-related major, degree completion, workforce wages, and the likelihood that a completer is employed in the health-care sector. Findings indicate that relative to similar students who do not complete a health CTE, completers are more likely to enroll in college immediately after high school, with some substitution from four-year to two-year enrollment that extends to degree receipt. CTE completion is also associated with a higher likelihood of completing a degree in a health-related major, being employed in a health-related field 6 years after high school, and higher workforce wages. This report discusses policy directions and implications for future research on health-related CTE.
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Remedial courses at community colleges are designed to develop the skills of students who are underprepared for the academic rigor of college courses. A significant portion of students in Maryland and nationwide are assessed to need remedial coursework each year. This study used data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) to examine the individual- and high school-level characteristics that predict the need for remediation in Maryland community colleges. The results can help policy makers and practitioners identify at-risk students before they arrive at college in order to help better prepare them for college-level coursework and reduce the need for remediation among recent high school graduates.
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Dual enrollment, where high school students enroll in college coursework, is implemented in Maryland with the goal of improving college and career outcomes for students. Prior research on dual enrollment finds a positive relationship between participation in dual enrollment programs and college outcomes, including college enrollment and degree attainment. However, few studies have used causal designs that can determine the causal effect of dual enrollment on long-term college outcomes, and there have been no studies to date that causally link dual enrollment program participation with long-term workforce wages. This study used data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) to examine the causal effect of dual enrollment participation in high school on college enrollment, persistence, degree attainment, and wages six years after the 12th grade for two academic cohorts of Maryland public high school students. Findings indicated that dually enrolled students were more likely to enroll in college, persist in college, and earn a college degree, including associate, bachelor’s, and certificate degrees, when compared to similar students who were not dually enrolled. Additionally, dually enrolled students earned significantly higher wages (+$2,100) six years after the 12th grade when compared to similar students who were not dually enrolled. Dual enrollment had stronger effects for students who are traditionally under-represented in the college population (e.g., Black and Hispanic students and students eligible for free and reduced price meals [FARMS]). This report discusses policy implications and directions for future research on dual enrollment in Maryland.
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This study finds that Brain Drain does exist. Specifically Maryland high school graduates who attended out-of-state colleges were less likely to return to the Maryland workforce when compared to students who attended instate colleges. This study uses data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) to link student high school records to college and employment information in order to determine the extent of brain drain in Maryland.
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This report focused on the annual wages earned by the following categories of high school students who did not attend college: regular high school diploma earners, certificate of completion earners, high school diploma via GED earners (ages 16-21), and high school non-completers in academic year 2009-2010. The report used three different methodologies for calculating annual wages. The report found that the GED earners had the highest wages (possibly because they are older and may have more work experience), followed by the high school diploma earners (who narrow the gap with the diploma via GED earners after five years). The non-completers had the next highest wages and the certificate of completion earners had the lowest wages. The report also found differences in the industries in which the different groups primarily worked. Finally, the report explored the policy implications of this analysis by providing in-depth background information on the financial and social burdens for individuals who do not complete high school and for those who complete high school but are not fully engaged in the workforce.
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This report examined course taking trends and postsecondary outcomes for Maryland students who were assessed to need remedial coursework upon entering college. Remedial coursework was defined as college courses taken to help students develop the academic skills necessary to succeed in higher education. Using MLDS data, the report found that students who were assessed to need remedial coursework experienced more negative college outcomes, such as lower likelihood of earning a bachelor’s degree, than those who were not assessed to need remedial coursework. The findings of this report indicated a possible disparity between high school instruction and college entry expectations, as well as the potential need for prevention and intervention services in high school and during the transition to college.
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This report examined the college and workforce outcomes of high school persisters. High school persisters were defined as students who completed four or five years of high school but did not earn a regular high school diploma or withdraw from high school. Using MLDS data, the report found that the proportion of high school students who persisted through year four was larger than the proportion of students who dropped out. High school persisters were also found to have more negative college and workforce outcomes when compared to students who earned a high school diploma. The findings suggested that high school persisters may benefit from early identification, targeted prevention and intervention efforts, and additional workforce training and/or college preparation.
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This report examined the workforce outcomes of students who earned degrees or certificates in early childhood care and education (ECCE) related fields. Using MLDS data, the report found that over 40% of graduates from the 2008-2009 academic year to the 2012-2013 academic year were employed in an ECCE-related industry for all four quarters in the calendar year following graduation. Of the 40% employed in the year following graduation, half were still earning wages in an ECCE-related industry five years after graduation. These findings offered initial information on the ECCE workforce in Maryland.
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This report examined the workforce outcomes for students who graduated with college degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in Maryland. The report used MLDS data to determine that Maryland STEM postsecondary degree earners were predominantly male, white, and non-Hispanic. Further, the report found that less than 50% of degree earners received wages for all four quarters in the calendar year following graduation. Additionally, workforce retention at five years post-graduation ranged from 52%-78%, depending on the degree earned. The findings of this report offered an initial examination of STEM postsecondary graduates in Maryland.
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This report analyzed the need for inclusion of online education data in the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS). The report determined that online education data should be included because of the increase in the use of online and digital learning, such as virtual schools and online courses, in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions. The report examined current trends in online education, both in Maryland and at a national level, and concluded with the recommendation that MLDS collect student data from online education and training programs and establish guidelines to improve data validity and reliability.
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