Long-Term Impacts of Supporting all Students Leaving High School to Apply to College or University

Authors:Reuben FordTaylor Shek-Wai HuiPhilip OreopoulosIsaac Kwakye

This report presents the latest results from the Life After High School project. The results from the previous Life After High School report (Ford et al., 2013) supported the notion from behavioural economics that relatively small differences in approach (the “nudge” of three hours of workshops) can have major consequences for behaviour in that it induced many more Grade 12 students to complete postsecondary applications.

But surprisingly, across all students and pre-identified subgroups, the intervention did not lead to an increase in post-secondary education enrollment in the year immediately following high school. This final evaluation report seeks to answer outstanding questions about whether students were motivated to access postsecondary education later by staying on in high school for an extra year or for longer by persisting in their studies.

The analysis of additional data in this study allows for the detection of additional enrollment among those in program schools and thus improves understanding of youths’ behavioural responses to such nudge approaches. It is the final deliverable for the Max Bell Foundation, evaluating the Life After High School’s impact on long-term post-secondary outcomes.

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Project Details

Capability: Experimentation
Policy Area: Post-Secondary Education - Access and Persistence, P-12 Education - Specialized Services and Programs
Population: Students - Youth
Type: Report
Completion Date: July 2016

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