Paying It Forward: A Technical Assistance Guide for Developing and Implementing Performance-Based Scholarships. The Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration
Author: Welbeck, Rashida
Date: 2014-02-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Technical Assistance,Guidelines,Guides,Performance Contracts,Scholarship Funds,Program Development,Program Implementation,Demonstration Programs,Graduation Rate,Academic Persistence,College Students,Low Income Groups,Program Design,Design Requirements,Best Practices,Incentive Grants,Stakeholders,Budgeting,Fund Raising,Partnerships in Education,Eligibility,Program Length,Delivery Systems,Student Recruitment,Scheduling,Organizational Communication,Accountability

Difficulties in paying for college and in maintaining good academic performance are two major hurdles to college graduation for low-income students. In recent years, state and federal budgets for postsecondary education have been cut significantly, limiting the options policymakers, education leaders, and communities have to improve rates of college attendance and graduation. Even when tuition and fees are covered by state and federal financial aid, lack of resources to help pay for other costs of attendance (such as book and living expenses) can lead students to choose to work more at paid jobs, and as a result, study less or interrupt their studies. Additionally, many low-income students, particularly in community colleges, lack the foundational academic skills they need. Underpreparation for college-level work and limited resources may reinforce each other, contributing to the current stagnation in college graduation rates for low-income students. Performance-based scholarships, which simultaneously address the financial and academic challenges that many low-income students face, is one strategy that may help boost rates of academic success and graduation for this population. A performance-based scholarship is need-based aid designed to help reduce the financial burden on a low-income student, while at the same time providing incentives for good academic progress. This guide offers helpful information and tools for developing and implementing a performance-based scholarship program. Drawing on the research findings and experiences from two research demonstrations that tested the effectiveness of performance-based scholarships for different types of students in diverse academic settings, this guide provides details on: (1) Alternative designs for performance-based scholarship programs used in several community colleges, a four-year college, and two portable scholarship programs, and (2) Components needed to design, plan, and implement a performance-based scholarship program. The guide offers readers lessons, advice, and clear steps for adding performance components to an existing scholarship program or for developing a new one. Collectively, the information in this guide is intended to help scholarship providers to be more purposeful and efficient when making decisions about whom they choose as recipients, how the awards are offered, and what to expect from recipients. Appended are: (1) Opening Doors and PBS Demonstration Program Highlights; (2) Logic Model Worksheet; (3) Disbursement Verification Template; and (4) Example of Encouraging E-mails [This guide was written with Alyssa Ratledge, and Melissa Boynton.]