The Cristo Rey Network is thrilled to share research from a new study presented in a working paper titled Are Work-Based Professional Skills Associated with Postsecondary Entrance and Persistence? Novel Evidence from the Cristo Rey Network. This groundbreaking research, part of a broader Cristo Rey Alumni Economic Mobility Study, finds that the professional skills Cristo Rey students develop through the unique Corporate Work Study program don't just serve students at work, they predict their likelihood of completing college in four years, even after accounting for GPA, SAT scores, and college characteristics. 

Study highlights:

• Students who earn strong ratings from their Corporate Work Study supervisors are 32% more likely to graduate college.
• Corporate Work Study skills are distinct from classroom skills and only weakly correlated with student academic performance measures. These professional skills, best developed in real workplace settings, have a significant impact on college success, not just on future careers.
• The skills that Corporate Work Study cultivates, especially collaboration and teamwork, judgment, efficiency, reliability, willingness to learn, adaptability, initiative, enthusiasm, and professionalism, appear resistant to automation. As technology transforms the job market, students who spend four years building these skills in real workplaces will gain a lasting advantage over their peers.
• The study goes beyond the idea that higher-achieving students simply go to better colleges. The research shows that even when two students have the same grades, test scores, and attend the same college, those with stronger work study skills are more likely to graduate on time. 

The research’s overall finding is clear: professional skills significantly boost college completion beyond academics alone. Over the next year, researchers will continue collecting data from our schools to help answer the ultimate question: does a Cristo Rey education cause upward economic mobility?

The Cristo Rey Network Corporate Work Study Program places every student in a professional job one full day each week throughout all four years of high school. Student associates connect classroom learning to career preparation, while employer partners gain early access to talented young people who contribute today and help build the workforce of the future. By integrating work experience with academic rigor and college preparation, Cristo Rey equips students for long-term success in college, career, and life.

Read the full working paper by Dr. Lauren C. Russell (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Jason Jabbari (Washington University in St. Louis), Xueying Mei (Washington University in St. Louis), Fahvyon Jimenez (Jimenez Strategies & Analytics), and Dr. Shaun M. Dougherty (Boston College).