SUCCESS BOSTON: Coming Back to Class - What Predicts Reenrollment of Students Who Have Stopped Out of College

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia

Success Boston report examines factors behind reenrollment among students who stop out of college, focusing on Boston Public Schools graduates and pathways to college completion. It describes the initiative’s cross-sector partnership model, guided by data and shared accountability, and outlines strategic support from college preparation through connected job pathways. The document includes acknowledgements, study context, and a structured research agenda covering study design, modeling results, student interviews, and implications for practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What the Research Says about Students Who Stop Out

Study Design, Data Sources, and Key Definitions

Modeling Analysis: Findings on Predictors of Reenrollment

Interviews with Students on Their Experiences: Summary of Findings

Discussion and Implications for Practice

Appendices

Endnotes

Coming Back to Class What Predicts Reenrollment of Students Who Have Stopped Out of College? About Success Boston Success Boston is a college completion initiative dedicated to increasing the number of Boston Public Schools graduates who earn post-secondary credentials. The partners include the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), 37 higher education institutions—led by UMass Boston and Bunker Hill Community College—and local nonprofit organizations. Success Boston is focused on low-income, first-generation students of color. The initiative was launched in 2008 in response toa study released by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University and the PIC, which showed that only 35% of BPS graduates who had enrolled in college completed an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree by the time they turned 25. Success Boston’s theory of change is that cross-sector partnerships, guided by data and mutual accountability, will significantly change the post-secondary trajectory for BPS graduates. Success Boston’s strategic framework focuses on helping Boston’s high school students “Get Ready, Get In and Get Through” college, then“Get Connected” to jobs. One of Success Boston’s intervention efforts is a coaching model. Other key activities within this framework include improving academic preparation and offering as-needed supports through higher education institutions until students successfully attain a degree prepared to enter the workforce. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Kathryn Bell at the Center for Survey Research, Linda Breisch of UMass Boston, and Anika Van Eaton, formerly with the Boston Private Industry Council, for contributing to the study. Kathryn assisted with administering the survey and analyzing response rates. Linda provided background research and contributed to the literature review. Anika contributed to the research design, survey instrument, and study sample creation. We also greatly appreciate the expertise and time shared by Amanda Colligan and Douglas Ducharme, formerly with the institutional research departments at BHCC and UMass Boston. Amanda helped with survey design and prepared the college administrative data for modeling activities for the BHCC sample. Douglas prepared an administrative record file for the UMass Boston sample. Amanda and Douglas answered many questions for the research team throughout the analysis. Finally, we thank our partners at BPS for supporting Success Boston research projects on the postsecondary experiences of BPS graduates and we acknowledge the leadership at Bunker Hill and UMass Boston for their ongoing support of Success Boston’s efforts to study the secondary and postsecondary success of Boston Public School students. In particular we thank Clea Andreadis, formerly with BHCC, for providing leadership and guidance on the original research proposal and the institutional review board process at BHCC. This report was made possible with support from StriveTogether. Boston Opportunity Agenda is a member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, a national movement of 70 communities to get better results for 10.5 million students across the country. The Cradle to Career Network involves 10,800 organizations in 30 states and Washington, D.C. Visit www.bostonopportunityagenda.org and www.strivetogether.org. Cover Photograph: FotoDuets © 2021 by the Boston Foundation. All rights reserved. Coming Back to Class What Predicts Reenrollment of Students Who Have Stopped Out of College? Prepared by Joan Becker, University of Massachusetts Boston Trent D. Buskirk, Bowling Green State University Carol Cosenza, University of Massachusetts Boston Joseph McLaughlin, Boston Private Industry Council for Success Boston The Boston Foundation Boston Opportunity Agenda With funding support from StriveTogether Editor Sandy Kendall, The Boston Foundation

FAQs

What population does the report focus on?

The report focuses on students who have stopped out of college, emphasizing Boston Public School graduates connected to Success Boston’s college completion initiative.

What is the central purpose of Success Boston in this context?

Success Boston aims to improve postsecondary outcomes through cross-sector partnerships that use data and mutual accountability to change the trajectory toward credentials and workforce entry.

What sections describe how the study was conducted and what was found?

The table of contents highlights study design and data sources, followed by modeling analysis of predictors for reenrollment, plus interviews summarizing students’ experiences, and concluding implications for practice.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia