The Relationship Between Onboarding and Student Persistence in Urban Precollegiate Organizations

Abstract

Building STEPS is a non-profit organization offering college and career programming to Baltimore City youth. The organization reports a 29% student loss within the first year of programming. This mixed methods study evaluates program surveys, recordings of junior and senior programming, cohort rosters, and the lived experiences of current participants through student interviews to assess the relationship between the onboarding process and student persistence. The findings illuminate how students are initially hesitant to join the program but those who persist quickly experience socialization and mentorship through highly rated progressive programming at the start of junior year. Additional findings reveal a relationship, that deserves more exploration, between a student’s grade point average or high school attended and their likelihood to persist.