Reconnecting but Disengaged - Working Paper 3 - The Limited Effects of Peer Mentoring for Adults at Tennessee Community Colleges - May 2023

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

A working paper examining Tennessee Reconnect, a last-dollar scholarship launched in 2018, and whether an adult peer mentoring pilot can improve persistence and academic outcomes at two community colleges. In spring 2021, first-year recipients were randomly assigned peer mentors across three semesters. Results show no improvement in GPA, credit hour attainment, or persistence to the next semester or year, with one negative effect on term GPA. Low take-up may explain limited impact.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

The Persistence Challenge

The Reconnect Peer Mentoring Project

Theory of Action

Recruiting Reconnect Peer Mentors

Reconnecting but Disengaged The Limited Effects of Peer Mentoring for Adults at Tennessee Community Colleges Working Paper \#3 May 2023 Reconnecting but Disengaged: The Limited Effects of Peer Mentoring for Adults at Tennessee Community Colleges May 2023 Summary Over the past decade, Tennessee has invested in several policies addressing the educational attainment of adult learners. One of these policies, Tennessee Reconnect, is a last-dollar scholarship for eligible adults to attend community college free of tuition and mandatory fees. Many adult students face obstacles to their educational attainment. Since Tennessee Reconnect's launch in 2018, more than 47,000 students have participated in Reconnect. However, less than half of Reconnect students persisted to the following year as grant recipients. In 2021, two community colleges participated in a year-long pilot project designed to promote Reconnect students' persistence through an innovative adult peer mentoring program. In this pilot, launched in spring 2021, first-year Reconnect students at Nashville State Community College and Southwest Tennessee Community College were randomly assigned to receive a peer mentor. Over the course of three semesters, Reconnect peer mentors set goals with their mentees, helped their mentees make a plan to persist, and helped connect mentees with academic and support resources at their colleges. However, after first-year Reconnect students received a Reconnect peer mentor, we found no impact of peer mentoring on adult students' academic outcomes or persistence. Reconnect peer mentoring did not improve Reconnect students' GPA, credit hour attainment, and persistence to the following semester or year. Overall, • Students who had a peer mentor had a lower term grade point average after participating in the pilot compared to students who did not receive a peer mentor. • Students who had a peer mentor earned credit hours at the same rate as students who did not receive a peer mentor. • Students who had a peer mentor persisted to the next semester at the same rate as students who did not receive a peer mentor. • Students who had a peer mentor persisted to the next year at the same rate as students who did not receive a peer mentor. These findings held true when controlling for academic characteristics, students' demographic characteristics, timing of treatment, and participating colleges. Although not definitive, the low impact of peer mentoring could be attributed to the pilot's low take-up rate. In summary, regardless of a student's race, gender, academic preparation, or institution, we could not detect if peer mentoring had a meaningful impact on students' academic success or persistence. The Persistence Challenge Each year from 2018 to 2020, roughly 16,000 students participated in Tennessee Reconnect at community colleges across the state. However, fewer than half of those Reconnect students persisted to the following year as grant recipients. In fact, only 46% of the first Reconnect cohort (2018-19 AY) and 47% of the second Reconnect cohort (2019-20 AY) persisted as Reconnect students the following year. To address these persistence rates, behavioral scientists from ideas42 interviewed Reconnect students in early 2020, and their findings revealed potential barriers to persistence. Reconnect students mentioned challenges common for all adult students, such as difficulties balancing school with work, family, and life. However, students also described challenges unique to Reconnect. Specifically, they mentioned a lack of awareness surrounding Reconnect eligibility and unclear information about their need to submit a reapplication as barriers to their persistence. Partnering with TBR, behavioral scientists at ideas42, and researchers at the University of Virginia's Nudge4 Solutions Lab, Nashville State Community College and Southwest Tennessee Community College piloted an innovative peer mentoring program to a

FAQs

What is Tennessee Reconnect and what persistence problem does the paper address?

Tennessee Reconnect is a last-dollar scholarship that enables eligible adults to attend community college free of tuition and mandatory fees. The paper highlights that fewer than half of Reconnect students persisted to the following year as grant recipients from 2018 to 2020.

How was the peer mentoring pilot designed for Reconnect students?

In spring 2021, first-year Reconnect students at Nashville State Community College and Southwest Tennessee Community College were randomly assigned peer mentors. Over three semesters, mentors set goals, helped students plan for persistence, and connected them to academic and support resources.

What impact did peer mentoring have on academic outcomes and persistence?

The paper finds no impact on GPA, credit hour attainment, or persistence to the next semester or year. Peer mentoring did not meaningfully affect students’ academic success or persistence after accounting for academic, demographic, timing, and college characteristics.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai