Marianne Bertrand, Kelly Hallberg: Studying the Effectiveness of College Access Supports in Chicago 

Over the last four decades, growing income inequality and reduced social mobility has meant that children born into poverty are increasingly likely to remain poor. Research tells us that the most effective route out of poverty is education, yet low-income youth lag behind their higher socioeconomic peers in post-secondary degree attainment. Many organizations are partnering with high schools in Chicago to address the financial, personal, and academic barriers that low-income students face in the transition to and through college. However, there is little evidence on which approaches work best for whom. Such evidence is critical to ensure that limited resources are directed efficiently to improve youth outcomes. The proposed study aims to fill this gap by collecting high-quality evidence about program impact for the major program providers in the city that can guide investment decisions and help identify opportunities to build capacity in promising organizations


Marianne Bertrand
Chicago Booth


Kelly Hallberg
UChicago Poverty Labs