We conduct scientifically rigorous and practice-informed action research that explores poorly understood problems affecting #RealCollege™ students and examine the efficacy of interventions to support #RealCollege™ students. With all our publications we seek to inform, educate, stimulate and guide people who want to shift the structural conditions and mindsets holding back #RealCollege™ students.
Our current focus is on research studies that identify areas for improvement and/or evaluating existing practices aimed at addressing #RealCollege™ issues such as college affordability, improvements to the current financial aid system, and students’ basic needs. In order to do this, we establish and maintain strategic partnerships that emphasize credible findings and survey methods, pursue action-oriented, stakeholder-engaged research, and advance the field(s) of inquiry.
The work gathered here encompasses the full range of Hope Center research work. You will find policy briefs, white papers and academic articles. We endeavor to make this a useful and easy to access library so that researchers, practitioners, policy makers and journalists can easily review the latest work we are producing.
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All Reports
All research reports published by The Hope Center
Connecting Community College Students to SNAP Benefits: Lessons learned from a pilot outreach intervention in California
Before the pandemic, millions of college students eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) did not access the benefit.
Read the ReportParenting While In College: Racial Disparities in Basic Needs Insecurity During the Pandemic
Roughly one-in-five college students provide primary care to at least one child while pursuing a higher education credential.
Read the ReportBasic Needs Insecurity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A #RealCollege HBCU Report
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established primarily in the post-Civil War era to meet the educational needs of Black Americans.
Read the ReportJournal Articles
All research reports published by The Hope Center
Academic articles written by or collaborated on with staff and affiliates at The Hope Center
Lack of secure affordable housing is a substantial concern for many of today’s college students.
Read the Journal ArticleAid after enrollment: Impacts of a statewide grant program at public two-year colleges
Most students who begin at community colleges do not finish with a degree.
Read the Journal ArticleBridging the Digital Divide to Engage Students in Higher Education
Bridging the Digital Divide to Engage Students in Higher Education is an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report, sponsored by Microsoft Higher Education.
Read the Journal ArticleWorking Papers
Working Papers are pre-publication versions of academic articles, book chapters, or reviews. Working papers posted on this site are typically in progress, under submission, or in press and forthcoming elsewhere.
Connecting Community College Students to Non-Tuition Supports During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Surveys show that many students in distress are not connected to resources that may help them and the leading reason is lack of information.
Read the working paperCompletion Grants: An Evaluation of Experimental Findings on College Attainment
Financial shortfalls in the final years of college, created by escalating costs and/or declining financial aid, lead many students to leave college without degrees in hand.
Read the working paperSelf-Reported COVID-19 Infection and Implications for Mental Health and Food Insecurity among American College Students
COVID-19’s impact on higher education has been examined widely as academic disruptions, social isolation, and financial instability threaten students’ dreams of college attainment.
Read the working paper