Eric Bettinger, phd

Dr. Eric Bettinger is a Professor of Education at Stanford University's School of Education. He is an expert on strategies to improve students' access and success in college.  He has published extensively on financial aid policies and the role of information to promote student success. Dr. Bettinger (with Drs. Bridget Long, Philip Oreopoulos, and Lisa Sanbonmatsu) also organized and directed a large-scale randomized evaluation of the H&R Block FAFSA experiment.  The experiment has been recognized extensively as providing definitive evidence that streamlining financial aid application processes for low-income families improves college outcomes. This study was a complex, multi-arm treatment study that examined the impact on application and receipt of financial aid and enrollment in college of providing different levels of assistance and information in completing the FAFSA. The study involved random assignment of students to the different treatment conditions and a control group. 

In all of his research, Dr. Bettinger has performed complex matching of administrative records to outcome data from educational institutions, government, and other organizations which track students, including the National Student Clearinghouse. Dr. Bettinger's research has been funded by the Gates Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, the Kauffman Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education. Bettinger is also a Faculty Research Fellow at both the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL).  Dr. Bettinger teaches Stanford’s courses on the design and implementation of RCTs in the field. 

Anthony lising antonio, phd

Dr. Antonio is an Associate Professor of Education and Associate Director of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research at Stanford University. Dr. Antonio’s research focuses on stratification and postsecondary access, racial diversity and its impact on students and institutions, student friendship networks, and student development.  His latest book is Assessment For Excellence: The Philosophy And Practice Of Assessment And Evaluation In Higher Education (2012), with Alexander W. Astin. His work has also been published in several leading journals including the Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, Psychological Science, Review of Higher Education, and Anthropology and Education Quarterly. Antonio has extensive experience designing and administering large-scale student surveys.  Antonio has received grants from Hewlett, Carnegie, Ford, Spencer, and Irvine Foundations to support his work.

Jesse foster-hedrick, phd

Dr. Jesse Foster-Hedrick is responsible for project and data management, as well as overseeing qualitative and survey projects.  She received her Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from Stanford Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on college access particularly for low-income and first-generation students.  She has conducted program evaluations for a national college advising program since 2009, involving both qualitative and quantitative data collection.