Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington each have programs designed to address college enrollment gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle school students in exchange for making a pledge to do well in high school, be a good citizen, not be convicted of a felony, and apply for financial aid to college. Using a triple-difference specification, we estimate the effects of Washington’s College Bound Scholarship program on students’ high school grades, high school graduation, juvenile detention and rehabilitation, and incarceration in state prison during high school or early adulthood. We find insignificant and substantively small or negative effects on these outcomes. These results call into question the rationale for such early commitment programs.

中文翻译：

---

承诺做“好事”：华盛顿州的一项早期承诺承诺计划，大学奖学金和高中成果

印第安纳州，俄克拉荷马州和华盛顿州都有各自的计划，旨在通过向低收入中学生提供州立大学经济援助的承诺来交换大学的承诺，以换取保证在高中取得好成绩，成为好公民的承诺。 ，不得被判重罪，并申请大学经济援助。使用三重差异规范，我们估算了华盛顿大学的大学奖学金计划对学生的高中成绩，高中毕业，少年拘留和康复以及高中或成年初期在州监狱的监禁的影响。我们发现这些结果的影响微不足道，实质上是很小的或负面的。这些结果令人质疑这种早期承诺计划的理由。