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Category: Project

Description: This article describes The Preparation Initiative (PI) program and highlights some of its effects on students who have participated in the program. The PI is a learning community that was designed to help students from disadvantaged programs (e.g., low-income, first-generation, racial-ethnic minorities) succeed in their academic pursuits at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Over 300 students have participated in the program since its inception. A recent independent program evaluation revealed that participation in the program substantially increased students’ grades as well as graduation rates. We discuss the implications of this program for research and practice in education as well as policy efforts to reduce education disparities.