Early Success Scholars: Bridging the Gap to College Degree Attainment for Underrepresented Students in Michigan State’s College of Education

Abstract

The Early Success Scholars (ESS) Program at Michigan State University is a summer bridge program that provides critical academic and social support for underrepresented students in the College of Education. The program, however, is currently limited in scale, reaching only a fraction of the students who could benefit from its services. Limited resources and a lack of program awareness have hindered its expansion. Without a clear strategy for growth, many potential beneficiaries remain underserved. Additionally, the program has not collected any qualitative or quantitative data to date on current and previous cohorts regarding personal development, social integration, persistence in the College of Education, and long-term career outcomes. This study aimed to develop strategies for expanding the ESS Program and to create a comprehensive framework to track academic and holistic student success measures to assess the program's effectiveness in achieving its intended outcomes, such as participants completing their degrees or obtaining jobs in urban schools. We collected data through a combination of surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, as well as a thorough review of literature around summer bridge programs, which enabled us to offer recommendations for improving current marketing strategies and sustaining contact with former ESS participants. We additionally uncovered findings around program conflation and diverging perspectives of purpose which led to supplementary program improvement recommendations.