Our Work

Research

Strada’s research team conducts primary and secondary research to learn what students need so that educators, policymakers, employers, innovators, funders, and others can help all students succeed beyond completion of credentials and degrees. This work can benefit first-generation students, working adults, those who struggle to afford education, students of color, and others facing barriers to quality education and training that will prepare them for success at work and in life.

 

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Our research explores what people say they need to succeed throughout their education and employment journey — their interest in education, their aspirations, their outcomes, the factors that help them succeed and the barriers that stand in their way.

We focus on four areas of research:

  • The choice to pursue additional education and training.
  • Students’ experiences during education and training.
  • Student outcomes, including persistence, completion, employment, and socio-economic outcomes.
  • New ways to help every student succeed.

Here is how our research is advancing the field’s thinking on how best to serve students.

The Choice to Pursue Additional Education and Training

We explore the choice to pursue additional education and training. This encompasses aspirations, expectations, barriers, and the desired supports involved in making the choice to pursue more learning.

Listening to Recent High School Grads: ‘Be Mindful of What We Have Gone Through’

Steep declines in undergraduate enrollment during 2020 and 2021 threaten to widen existing equity gaps in college completion and career opportunities.

Back to Class: Will Pandemic-Disrupted Learners Return to School?

The pandemic has led to a national crisis of widespread disruption to both work and education for millions of adults in the U.S., especially those from historically marginalized groups.

Adult Learner Barriers

Making progress in our lives as adults is challenging as we juggle multiple family and work responsibilities.

Some College and No Degree

In a collaborative study of more than 40,000 Americans who started attending college, but did not finish with a degree, this report from Strada Education Network, Lumina Foundation and Gallup Research provides insights into the reasons they stopped out of college, and what could help them return.

Students Experiences During Education and Training

We examine students’ experiences during education and training to ensure that everyone involved understands what students value and how to meet their needs in ways that perpetuate their success far beyond completing a credential or degree.

Understanding Undergraduates’ Career Preparation Experiences

Strada’s prior research on undergraduate perceptions of the value of their education demonstrates that students value their education most when they receive support to connect their education and career interests.

Student Viewpoint on Impacts to Completion

How is COVID-19 affecting college students currently enrolled at American four-year institutions?

Student Viewpoint: COVID-19 and the Value of College

Student experiences tied to the belief that education is worth the cost

The Significant Value of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Two centuries after the first historically Black colleges and universities were founded, the 101 accredited HBCUs in operation today continue to deliver on their legacy of expanding educational opportunity for Black students that leads to successful and fulfilling lives.

Student Outcomes

We measure student outcomes — persistence, completion, employment, and socio-economic — to identify proven practices to help students succeed beyond completion. In addition to providing resources to measure and benchmark student outcomes, we evaluate the effectiveness of our own grants, investments, strategic services, engagement, and advocacy efforts.

Student Outcomes Beyond Completion: National Findings From the 2021 Strada Alumni Survey

The baccalaureate degree remains the surest path to economic mobility, employment stability, and a host of associated social benefits.

How do our programs impact career and education outcomes?

Learn more about the impacts for participants in Roadtrip Nation programs, from road trip experiences to our project-based course and career exploration tools.

The Permanent Detour: Underemployment’s Long-Term Effects on the Careers of College Grads

Underemployment’s Long-Term Effects on the Careers of College Grads

Examining the Value of Nondegree Credentials

The benefits and opportunities of certificates and certifications.

How to Help Every Student Succeed

We conduct research to help Strada and our partners find new ways to help every student succeed through and beyond completion of degrees and credentials.

Powering Purpose: Invest now in community colleges to fuel economic opportunity

Even as community colleges across the nation have experienced historic enrollment declines due to the pandemic, the percentage of working-age adults stating their intent to enroll within the next two years remains strong.

Building a Learner-Centered Ecosystem

The time is now to forge new pathways between learning and work so that more workers can thrive.

The Power of Work-Based Learning

Applied connections between education and work are increasingly a part of undergraduate education in the United States. Among students who have work-based learning experiences, those with paid internships stand out for their increased earning power, confidence in themselves, and recognition of the value of their education.

Robot-Ready: Human+ Skills for the Future of Work

Some say that STEM skills are the most critical skills in the age of automation. Others think only the uniquely “human” skills of the liberal arts will survive. We believe it’s both. The most valuable workers now, and in the future, are those who combine technical knowledge with human skills.

Our Team

Dave Clayton

Senior Vice President, Research

Nichole Torpey-Saboe

Vice President, Research

Andrew Hanson

Senior Director, Research

Summer Casillas

Director, Research

Melissa Leavitt

Director, Research

Jake Williams

Director, Research

Akua Amankwah-Ayeh

Research Associate

Connect With Us

We want to know how we can help bring the learner voice to your work. Let us know about opportunities to collaborate, if you have questions about the data, or if you would like us to brief your team on our research. You also can email us directly at stradaresearch@stradaeducation.org.

Latest From Research

View All Research Content
October 1, 2024
Quality Coaching Report

Strada’s newest report, Quality Coaching, looks at students’ experiences across three elements of quality coaching and we examine the experiences of recent graduates. The report also offers insights to leaders, practitioners, and others seeking to improve students’ career outcomes.
May 30, 2024
Building Better Internships

Strada’s newest report, Building Better Internships, looks at the latest findings from the National Survey of College Internships (NSCI), a survey developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.

April 1, 2024
State Opportunity Index

The State Opportunity Index was developed to help states build a stronger connection between education after high school and equitable pathways to opportunity so students realize the full value of their education and employers have the workforce they need to fill high-demand jobs.

February 21, 2024
Talent Disrupted

New research highlights what states and institutions can do to help more graduates secure college-level jobs.
September 7, 2023
The Value of Community Colleges: Recent Students’ Motivations and Outcomes

To better understand the value community colleges provide to individuals and communities, we need to acknowledge the range of needs they serve.
May 17, 2023
From College to Career: Students’ Internship Expectations and Experiences

​​A wide range of experiences prepare students for success beyond the completion of their college degree. The evidence for the value of interning on students’ future careers is strong.
April 5, 2023
Employer and Community College Partnerships: Models and Practices for Supporting Students and Strengthening the Workforce

In an era of student enrollment declines, tight labor markets, rising college costs, and a growing lack of confidence in the value of a postsecondary education, community colleges and employers have ample reasons to partner together.
April 5, 2023
Trends in Employer Partnerships with Community Colleges: Insights From Strada’s National Grant Challenge

Partnerships between community colleges and employers have the opportunity to address local and regional economic needs through a range of tools, including supporting student success through resources and services, integrating work-based learning, and building career pathways.
November 16, 2022
Alumni Survey: Learning key skills during college led to $8,700 more in earnings

At a time of growing societal uncertainty about the value of higher education and declining enrollment, the views of alumni turn out to be particularly insightful. This group can provide especially valuable feedback about how their education experiences have enriched their lives, which can help us ensure that today’s students maximize all the benefits that college offers.
November 16, 2022
Value Beyond the Degree: Alumni Perspectives on How College Experiences Improve Their Lives

The list of benefits associated with earning a college degree is extensive and oft-repeated. It includes higher average lifetime earnings, employment security, greater self-esteem, and better health, among many others.
September 21, 2022
The Great Resignation: Workers’ Experiences with Job and Education Transitions

Amid all of this disruption, the number of U.S. workers leaving or changing their jobs sharply increased. Known variously as the Great Resignation, Reshuffle, or Realignment, the trend has been cast in the cultural imagination as a collective desire on the part of the American workforce for more rewarding or meaningful work.
September 21, 2022
New Research on the “Great Resignation” Offers Surprisingly Good News

New Study from Strada Education Network Reveals a Silver Lining at a Challenging Time
July 20, 2022
Success Beyond Completion: How Can We Best Measure Student Outcomes?

Over the past 80 years, our nation has made great strides in improving access to college, and then ensuring that many more students could complete a college degree.
June 15, 2022
Education Expectations: Views on the Value of College and Likelihood to Enroll

Spring 2022 enrollment numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse reveal a fifth straight semester of enrollment declines, with more than 1 million fewer students enrolled compared to spring 2020