This working paper from a cross-disciplinary network team led by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice provides preliminary findings from a study examining a text-messaging intervention to improve the use of non-tuition supports to promote community college retention and completion.

From the website: "Surveys show that many students in distress are not connected to resources that may help them, and the leading reason is lack of information. Stigma around needing help also holds students back from accessing resources they know about. This study examines an inexpensive way for community colleges to overcome those barriers and connect students to key resources, including emergency aid and advising, which may lower their non-tuition expenses and improve their well-being. In collaboration with Dallas College, SignalVine, and partners Eric Bettinger, Gregory Walton, and Shannon Brady, we find nudging substantially increased the rate at which students reached out for support, and there was some evidence that nudges that reduced stigma were more successful at making students feel empowered. We also find some evidence that effects may vary by age, race/ethnicity, and gender. Overall, it appears that low-cost text messaging to students about supports during the pandemic increases their use of those programs."