While men of color bring strengths and assets to their college experience, research to date indicates that three primary hurdles inhibit college completion for many male students of color: (1) inadequate social, emotional, and campus support; (2) insufficient college preparation and academic achievement; and (3) nonacademic barriers to persistence. Descriptive qualitative and quantitative research supports the use of culturally relevant strategies to address these barriers, but more causal evidence is needed to show the effectiveness of such strategies.

To help provide causal evidence to the field on what programs best support the persistence and degree completion of men of color, MDRC is partnering with the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) through the Men of Color College Achievement (MoCCA) Project to study an integrated intervention consisting of Academic Development 101 for Men of Color and the Male Student Success Initiative (ACDV-MSSI). Together, these services form a comprehensive program that consists of a culturally relevant student success course, mentorship and academic coaching, and various academic and professional activities designed to bolster the academic success of male students of color.

The MoCCA Project includes a randomized controlled trial impact study to detect the effects of ACDV-MSSI on student academic outcomes. The research team will also employ a mixed-methods approach to assess implementation fidelity of ACDV-MSSI, the service contrast, service dosage, the student context, students' social support networks, and program cost effectiveness.

Study period: 2018–21 (evaluation planning: 2018; recruitment and evaluation: 2018–2020; deliverables: 2021–2022)

This project is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305N160025 to MDRC.