How Our Findings Bear on Future Policy, Practice, and Research

Laura W. Perna and Edward J. Smith

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This final chapter offers conclusions that cut across the other chapters in the volume and identifies implications for policy, practice, and future research. The chapter discusses implications of the studies for program design and raises questions that program administrators and policy makers should consider in design and implementation. Of particular importance is attention to understanding who benefits—and who does not benefit—from a promise program and other implications of program design for equity. The chapter also identifies topics for future research, including the long-term effects of programs on outcomes for different groups of students and the implications of different eligibility criteria and approaches to the financial award for program participation and outcomes. The chapter also discusses the need to know more about program implementation and management, including financial and political sustainability, program leadership, and whether the benefits of programs with different designs exceed the costs.