Measuring the Success of Student Veterans and Active Duty Military Students

1 Confidential © InsideTrack

Measuring the Success of Student Veterans and Active Duty Military Students A joint study by InsideTrack and NASPA

Confidential © InsideTrack


Why NASPA & InsideTrack partnered on this study



•  VA spends nearly $10 billion annually on education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill

•  DoD spends more than $1 billion annually through the Voluntary Education Program

•  In the 3 years since the Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect, colleges have doubled their enrollment of student veterans, increased programs and services for them and intensified marketing to recruit more

•  No wide-scale, accurate data currently exists on retention and completion rates for student service members and veterans, their overall numbers nor their primary attrition factors

The population of current and former service members in college is large, growing and poorly understood

4 Confidential © InsideTrack 4 Confidential © InsideTrack

About the Study


We examined efforts to measure and enhance the success of active duty military students and student veterans by combining

•  A survey of NASPA member institutions

•  Interviews with administrators and other key stake holders

•  Insights from professional coaches who have mentored thousands of student service members and veterans over the last decade

NASPA and InsideTrack set out to better understand the current level of knowledge


•  The voting-delegate at each NASPA member institution was emailed an invitation to participate

•  239 institutions (21%) completed the survey, including public, private, small, and large schools located throughout the United States

•  Responses were matched to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) institutional characteristics

The survey was designed by NASPA and InsideTrack and was administered online


Summary of Survey Findings



•  Most have dedicated personnel and resources specifically to active duty military student and student veteran affairs

•  Most have a variety of initiatives underway designed to enhance success among these students

•  A small minority claim to understand the primary causes of attrition among student service members and veterans

•  The vast majority do not have the disaggregated retention and completion data required to measure the effectiveness of their interventions and investments

Most institutions are very well intentioned but flying blind


Institutions have a limited understanding of the root causes of VET/ADM stop-out and drop-out

Figure 2

Level of understanding of the root causes of stop-out or dropout among undergraduate active duty military students and student veterans

10

20

30

40

50

Student Veterans

Active Duty Military Student

Institution is beginning to explore the issue

Institution has initial ideas, but needs to explore further

Institution has detailed understanding of the issue

Not an issue given the institution’s student body

Percent


Few institutions have disaggregated data on VET/ADM retention and completion Figure 3

Percent of institutions tracking retention and degree completion rates for active duty military and student veterans

Neither retention nor degree completion

Both retention and degree completion

Degree completion only

Retention only

72%

22%

5%1%

Active duty military students



Degree Completion only

Retention only

67%

26%

6%1%

Student veterans




Retention only




Retention only


Few institutions have data to evaluate their VET/ADM drop-out prevention initiatives

Figure 4

Effectiveness of current initiatives to address stop-out or dropout among undergraduate active duty military students and student veterans

Other

Too early to evaluate initiative

Not effective, no data

Effective, no data

Effective, data to prove it

5%

31%

2%

54%

8%


Insights from qualitative discussions with professional student coaches, university staff and other stakeholders



Addressing these misconceptions is critical to advancing the dialog around active duty military and student veteran success •  Myth #1: Student service members and veterans have lower success rates

than other adult student populations

•  Myth #2: Student service members and veterans are less well prepared to succeed in college than other adult student populations

•  Myth #3: Student service members and veterans are resistant to support •  Myth #4: Student service members and veterans are proactive and direct in

expressing dissatisfaction with their educational experience

There are a number of common myths surrounding current and former service members


A few practices that have proven successful at institutions around the country include: •  Reword intake surveys / applications to ask “have you ever been affiliated

with the U.S. Military…” •  Identify administrators, faculty, staff and alumni with prior military experience

and solicit their involvement

•  Review the available literature on best practices for supporting current and former members of the military

•  MOST IMPORTANT - Remember that students are individuals and rarely fit into a single demographic or behavioral category

There are also some emerging best practices


The National Student Clearing House, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Student Veterans of America have joined forces to start gathering data

There is some positive news on cross-institution measurement


Google recently awarded a $3.2M grant to four veterans organizations to study best practices in student veteran success

There is also positive news on identifying best practices


Sources of best practices information



The American Council on Education offers an online resource called the Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions (https://vetfriendlytoolkit.acenet.edu) which highlights a variety of best practices including veterans-specific orientation offerings, on-campus veterans service centers, prospective student outreach efforts, faculty training, and counseling and psychological services for student veterans. It also includes video clips, profiles of student veteran programs across the U.S., and a searchable database of tools and resources. Another valuable resource is the Operation College Promise (OCP) Field Guide (http://operationpromiseforservicemembers.com/OCP-FieldGuide-April2013.pdf), which provides a blueprint for higher education institutions to create an environment for military-background student success. The OCP website also offers a variety of training and networking opportunities. The “8 Keys to Success” program developed by the Obama Administration, the Department of Education (ED), and the VA in conjunction with more than 100 education experts also provides useful guidance. As the name implies, it highlights eight concrete steps that higher education institutions can take to help veterans and servicemembers transition into the classroom and thrive once they are there. Other useful sources of information include the SVA (http://www.studentveterans.org) and the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), which functions in cooperation with 15 higher education associations, the Department of Defense, and Active and Reserve Components of the Military Services to expand and improve voluntary postsecondary education opportunities for servicemembers worldwide (http://www.soc.aascu.org). InsideTrack has also published several useful documents related to student veteran and servicemember success, including an eBook entitled, “Quick tips for supporting military students and student veterans,” another entitled, “The decision-making behavior of post-traditional students,” and a report entitled, “Measuring the success of student veterans and active duty military students.” All are available on the organization’s website (http://www.insidetrack.com/).

Here are a few resources to support you in creating an ADM/VET friendly institution


About the NASPA Research Policy Institute and InsideTrack



NASPA’s Research and Policy Institute

NASPA’s Research and Policy Institute (RPI) intentionally links policy, research and effective student affairs practice in support of student success. What we do

•  Connect the research and policy activities of NASPA members to increase reach and impact.

•  Filter and interpreting information to create value for NASPA members.

•  Produce original research and policy analysis.


Increase enrollment, retention and graduation by 15%. •  1:1 coaching for prospective and enrolled students •  Actionable insights on student perceptions and needs •  Systems to ensure measurement and accountability

InsideTrack works with you to implement a system for continuous improvement

InsideTrack is the only college dropout prevention initiative to meet WWC evidence standards


Unlocking human potential since 2001

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