SCORE Report Finds Academic Improvement Linked to Coaching and Grants

The Tennessee SCORE logo.

A new report could signal consistent academic and financial support as a driving factor in improving grades for higher-education students.

Tennessee SCORE released a report on Thursday titled "Coaching and Completion Grants: Five Years of Evidence and Impact" that suggests that postsecondary students who receive persistent coaching and grants are 11.7 percent more likely to return to campus for a second year, with students of color in particular reaching 20-percentage-point gains.

“New evidence shows that access to postsecondary education alone is not enough — targeted coaching and just-in-time financial support help more students persist and complete postsecondary credentials,” Tennessee SCORE said in a release. “Over the past five years, Tennessee has paired tuition-free access through Tennessee Promise with proactive completion coaching and completion grants for students with the greatest financial need.”

Tennessee has tested a combined strategy called completion coaching and completion grants, first through Knox Promise and then statewide through the COMPLETE program. The model pairs two ingredients:

·       Completion coaching: Students work regularly with trained coaches who help them plan courses, stay on track, and connect to campus and community resources. Coaches reach out early and often to support students through their first years of college.

·       Completion grants: Students who meet with a coach at least twice can receive small, “just-in-time” grants to cover urgent needs such as food, transportation, textbooks, or technology. Most grants range from $100 to $300.

SCORE’s Findings

SCORE’s release proposes that many students, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, face barriers to postsecondary education beyond just paying tuition, which include family responsibilities and competing work. This led Tennessee to introduce a model to provide proactive coaching to help students stay on track and “just-in-time completion grants” to address any pressing financial barriers.

“Results from the TN Achieves COMPLETE program and Knox Promise pilot show this approach is particularly impactful for students with the greatest need and ensures that more Tennesseans stay enrolled and succeed in postsecondary education,” the release said.

The model works by linking completion grants to coaching. Students must engage with a coach before they can receive grant funds, which SCORE says ensures financial help is paired with long-term support and accountability.

Researchers from the University of Tennessee’s Boyd Center reviewed five years of data on these programs. Their findings include:

·       Stronger persistence: Students with access to completion coaching and grants were 11.7 percentage points more likely to return for their second year of college than similar students without access.

·       Bigger gains for students of color: Persistence rates increased by around 20 percentage points for students of color who engaged with a coach and became eligible for grants.

·       Coaching matters most: While grants help remove immediate barriers, regular meetings with a coach are most strongly linked to staying enrolled and eventually graduating.

·       Grants meet basic needs: Nearly 90 percent of grant funds were used for necessities such as groceries and transportation, helping students avoid dropping out due to short-term financial crises.

Suggested Next Steps

SCORE recommends the state take multiple actions to realize the full potential of proactive coaching and completion grant aid.

This includes expanding access to coaching statewide, regardless of Pell Grant eligibility, and maintaining the link between coaching and grant eligibility.

SCORE additionally recommends the state to continue to target grant support for the state’s economically disadvantaged students.