Projects

Public Impact Research (Funded by the Doris Duke Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2023-present, Gumport)

Across U.S. research universities, expectations have expanded for research to generate more immediate and direct societal value. Increasingly, research is expected not only to advance knowledge but also to contribute to addressing pressing societal challenges. How are research universities reorganizing research in response to these changing expectations? Using public impact research as its central empirical focus, this project examines the new organizational forms and capacities through which universities seek to connect research more directly with public purposes. By tracing the historical and institutional developments that laid the groundwork for these changes and drawing on interviews and institutional analysis, the study investigates how university leaders, faculty, and professional staff interpret evolving expectations and reorganize research priorities, collaborative relationships, and anticipated pathways to societal impact. The findings illuminate how changing societal expectations become translated into organizational transformation, reshaping the conditions under which new knowledge is generated. In doing so, the project advances our understanding of institutional change, knowledge production, and the evolving role of research universities in society while offering insights for university leaders, faculty, and research funders. The project receives generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, in addition to seed funding from the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions/Hoover Institution, the Haas Center for Public Service, and two anonymous donors.

America’s Educational Attainment: A Trend Analysis of Non-traditional Pathways (Michael Kirst and Victor Eliot Hau Hong Chan)

Decades of national and institutional data for ages 15–25 reveal a pattern of growth and progress in Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, four-year colleges/universities growth and completion, apprenticeships, certificates, and credentials. Current research and data infrastructure fall short in areas of promising developments, such as career and technical education, college transfer, and remedial education. Sectors like on-the-job training, military education, and credentials also lack data. Findings should spur policymakers and researchers to reconsider current policies and establish priorities for data collection. [link to Report]

Beyond Triage: A Randomized Experiment in Sustained Pre-College Advising (Funded by Institute for Educational Sciences, 2013-present; Antonio and Bettinger)

This project examines the impact of Advise TX – a large-scale college access program implemented by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) – on students’ college enrollment/completion, students’ engagement in pathways-to-college activities, and schools’ college-going cultures. The project is a multi-method study involving quantitative causal analyses of the randomized control trial, cross-sectional survey analyses of student postsecondary aspiration and preparation, and longitudinal case study analyses of the development of college-going culture in schools.

Integrating Social Network Analysis Into the Study of College Student Socialization and Change (Funded by the Spencer Foundation, 2015-present; Antonio)

This project aims to formulate new ways of thinking about socialization, student development, retention, and access through the frame of social networks. Broadly, the project aims to develop a relational perspective brings to problem-framing and question formulation in higher education.

Evaluation of the College Advising Corps (CAC)
(Funded by Corporation for National and Community Service, GreenLight Fund, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2011-present; Antonio and Bettinger)

This project is a multi-method, comprehensive evaluation of the impact of CAC advisers on student aspirations and college enrollment and success outcomes. The project covers programs in over 500 high schools operating in 14 states across the country.

The Impact of a College Access Program on College-Going Cultures in High-Need Schools (Funded by the Spencer Foundation, 2012-2013; Antonio)

This project pursues the conceptual development of college-going culture in high need high schools. We conduct case studies of eleven high schools, gathering insider perspectives and practices pertaining to schools’ dispositions and organizational arrangements oriented to postsecondary destinations for students.

The Role of Friendship Groups and Networks in Student Development (2010-2011, Antonio)

A longitudinal study of the interpersonal environment of college students in a multicultural setting. Studies include the development of cultural awareness, commitment to racial understanding, self-concept, and educational aspirations.

Academic Collaboration in Public Higher Education (Funded by the Ford Foundation, 2004-2008; Gumport)

This case study research examined how institutions addressed an emerging set of challenges in higher education, particularly how public higher education systems addressed the support of programs with limited demand through innovative collaboration. The project examined how collaborative, within-system initiatives, as well as innovative instructional approaches, were undertaken to yield efficiency gains across multiple campuses.

Higher Education Research Priorities of Foundations (Funded by Atlantic Philanthropies USA, Inc., 2002-2003; Gumport)

Focus groups of selected senior staff from major philanthropic foundations were conducted to elicit their views of the highest priorities for their portfolios to fund research on higher education at the start of the 21st century.

National Center for Postsecondary Improvement (Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, 1996-2004; Gumport)

This multi-partner, multi-project collaborative identified and focused research activity on 60 projects on critical national policy areas including postsecondary access, remediation, student assessment, teaching and learning, institutional finance, community college faculty, institutional performance, financial aid policy, and school-to-work issues. The collaborative, headquartered at SIHER, was conducted in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, and Stanford University.