Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Garrett County Scholarship Program (GCSP) on bachelor’s degree completion. This profile focuses on the difference-in-differences analyses. The author investigated a similar research question for another contrast, the profile can be found here.
- The study used a difference-in-differences design to compare the outcomes of the county implementing GCSP to counties that did not implement a promise scholarship program. Using administrative data from Garrett College and the U.S. Census, the author conducted statistical models to compare differences in outcomes between the groups.
- The study found no statistically significant relationship between the GCSP and attainment of a bachelor's degree.
- This study receives a low evidence rating. This means we are not confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to Garrett County Scholarship Program (GCSP); other factors would have likely contributed. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
Garrett County Scholarship Program
Features of the Intervention
Promise scholarships are designed to address the issues of college affordability and barriers posed by student debt in higher education. Garrett County, Maryland began implementing the promise scholarship model in 2006. The Garrett County Scholarship Program (GCSP) guarantees that high school graduates who enroll in the county’s community college (Garrett College) within two years of graduation will receive scholarships to cover tuition and fees. The GCSP not only increases educational access for youth but also focuses on upskilling the local workforce and retaining talent within the county.
Features of the Study
The study used a difference-in-differences design to examine the impact of the GCSP on county-level postsecondary attainment. The sample included individuals aged 25 and older in Garrett County, MD, and surrounding counties from 2000 to 2017. The treatment group consisted of Garrett County residents who had access to the GCSP, while the comparison group included residents from surrounding counties without promise scholarships. Surrounding counties were Allegany and Garrett in Maryland, Fayette and Somerset in Pennsylvania, and Preston, Grant, and Mineral in West Virginia. The study included data from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, and Garrett College. The author used statistical models to compare the outcomes of the treatment and comparison groups, controlling for underrepresented minority concentration, household income, poverty level, and high school dropout rates.
Findings
Education and skills gains
The study did not find a statistically significant relationship between the GCSP and attainment of a bachelor's degree.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The study used aggregate county-level data rather than individual data for the longitudinal data analysis. The author provided aggregate sample sizes by county for the study period but did not provide sample sizes at the beginning and end of the period of interest. Moreover, the author did not provide information about changes in group composition over time. Changes in the size and composition of the study sample could affect the outcomes. Therefore, the study is not eligible for a moderate causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for nonexperimental designs.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the author used group level data and did not provide information about the changes in group composition over time. This means we are not confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to Garrett County Scholarship Program (GCSP); other factors would have likely contributed. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects.