Competition

So before I officially re-launch the blog with new recipes and adventures I just need to mention that my boyfriend is obviously competing with me for attention. Though his writing skills may be better than mine, and his meticulous attention to detail probably makes his baked goods more consistent than mine (silly him, he thinks his cookies are better than mine)when you do repeated batches, I have a leg up on him with cooking. Plus, I can eat nuts, fish, and pitted fruit and he cant. This means freedom for me! I can cook/eat anything I want while he's down in Durham and I'm up in DC. Muahaha. Anyway...go check him out here! I'm off to go buy myself some bourbon so I can make some peach preserves and drink some while I pickle some carrots.

Cheers!

Master's Thesis is Completed!!! Which means....

So I'm truly sorry for not baking and blogging. Life has been completely filled with nothing but data analysis and writing about data analysis. If anyone is interested in my thesis entitled "Enrollment in Success Courses: Completion Rates and Developmental Education in the North Carolina Community College System" please let me know. Just for fun I'll post my executive summary at the end. Not like anyone is really going to read it...but...

Anyway. So just to update the world that I am back on my baking kick and to start it off I made some lemon curd tartletts topped with raspberries. Yum! I of course used my homemade lemon curd and for the dough I made Dorie's sable cookies. Personally it came out more sugar-cookie-ish than shortbread cookie-ish. So I think for actual shortbread I'll stick with Ina Garten's recipe. Oh and I can't wait to go strawberry, blueberry, and peach picking this summer so I can make strawberry, blueberry, and peach breads, pies, tarts, and curd!!!

As for other things that I have backed in the absence of blogging is a cheesecake finally!!. Here are pictures of it. Joel and I made a raspberry coolie for it. Doesn't it look pretty! And of course it is Dorie's cheesecake recipe. Joel prefers his King Aurthur one though which is much denser. Dorie's one was nice and light, which I personally prefer.

As for recipes...email me if you feel a need for any of them. I don't know who reads this still due to my absence. Email is kelsey.yamasaki@gmail.com!

Ok folks. Back to washing the dishes. Enjoy the read of my executive summary!

Executive Summary

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether enrollment in a success course improves the likelihood that a community college student will complete an associate’s degree. Attention is paid in particular to students in developmental education, commonly known as remediation, because they are typically the least likely to complete an associate’s degree.

Introduction

Evidence indicates that individuals who complete a community college credential have better economic outcomes than individuals with only a high school diploma. However, the vast majority of students who start pursuing a community college credential never complete their studies. Nationally, only 36% of first-time, credential-seeking community college students graduate within six years, while in North Carolina less than 25% graduate. For students who enroll in developmental education, graduation rates are even lower. In North Carolina, less than 22% of students in developmental education graduate within six years.

To improve graduation rates, North Carolina community colleges have begun providing students with the opportunity to enroll in success courses. Designated as Academic Related (ACA), success courses are one-credit electives that are designed to offer students an understanding of college resources; strategies for effective studying, research, and communication; and guidance on developing personal and academic action plans. However, it is unknown whether enrollment in an ACA improves a student’s likelihood of completing an associate’s degree.

Prior Research

Previous research has found that students who enroll in a success course are more likely to graduate than their peers who do not. However, the body of research on success courses has not been able to conclusively demonstrate that success courses are the cause of these higher graduation rates Researchers have been unable to control for the fact that success courses are electives that only certain types of students choose to take. As a result, previous research may be overestimating the effect of enrollment in a success course if solely academically-prepared and motivated students choose to enroll. Conversely, previous research may be underestimating the effect of success courses if only academically unprepared or unmotivated students are forced to enroll by their academic advisers.

Data and Methods

The North Carolina Community System (NCCCS) provided me with six years of student-level data on the cohort of first-time, credential-seeking students who entered the system in Fall 2003. Among the students in the cohort, 25% graduated within six years, 32% enrolled in an ACA, and 54% enrolled in developmental education.

Preliminary descriptive statistics indicate that students who enroll in an ACA graduate at higher rates than their peers who do not enroll in an ACA. Twenty-eight percent of students who enrolled in an ACA graduated while only 23% of students who did not enroll in an ACA graduated. Descriptive statistics also indicate that students in developmental education graduate at higher rates if they enroll in an ACA. Twenty-four percent who enrolled in an ACA graduated while only 20% of those who did not graduated.

To isolate the effect of ACA enrollment on graduation from the effects of student characteristics, such as academic ability, socio-economic status, and motivation, I used the following econometric methods:

• OLS regressions to control for observable characteristics, such as developmental education placement levels and Pell Grant receipt, which also influence whether a student will graduate;

• Nearest-neighbor matching (NNM) to create a statistical control group of students who looked like students who enrolled in an ACA on every observable characteristic so that appropriate comparisons could be made; and

• Instrumental variables (IV) to address problems of endogeneity, or reverse causality. In other words, specific variables that only affect whether students enroll in ACAs and not whether they will graduate were used to control for self-selection into ACAs.

Findings and Policy Implications

Enrollment in an ACA improves the likelihood that a student will complete an associate’s degree, but may not improve the likelihood of completing an associate’s degree if that student is enrolled in developmental education.

On average, I found that enrollment in an ACA improves a student’s likelihood of completing an associate’s degree. My effect estimates ranged from a high of 7.7 percentage points using OLS, which does not fully control for the self-selection problems, to 3.7 percentage points using an IV approach that more fully corrects for self-selection. Among students in developmental education I found that enrollment in an ACA has a smaller effect. My effect estimates range from a high of 5.3 percentage points using OLS to 1.2 percentage points using an IV approach. However, using an IV approach, I cannot reject the possibility that, among students in developmental education, ACA enrollment has no effect on the likelihood that a students will complete an associate’s degree.

Additional analysis using OLS regressions shows that it makes no difference in which semester a student enrolls in an ACA their first or second semester; enrollment in an ACA may not benefit Pell Grant recipients or students with a GED or adult high school diploma; and that ACA 111 College Student Success may be the only effective ACA.

My findings suggest that the NCCCS may want to restructure the content of ACAs to make them more effective for students in developmental education. Furthermore, the NCCCS should consider whether it is cost-effective to provide ACAs given that the effects of enrollment are small and possibly insignificant for students in developmental education.

Paula Deen at DPAC

So wish I could go!!!! If I can't at least I'll have cook's illustrated to hold me as I dream of watching the Southern Sweetheart of butter cook.

Negligent

Sorry. I've been negligent about blogging. It seems school has taken over my life. The fact that I'm taking 4 classes this first half of the semester and trying to get my thesis done isn't helping the blogging or the baking. Also the fact that STATA is consuming my life due to my projects for Economics of the Family are grueling. But I guess I shouldn't be complaining that much as I haven't started my data analysis for my thesis as my clients (The NCCCS) haven't gotten me my data yet. Still, I have to write out my different specifications and justify why I'm doing it that way. Hopefully it will pay off and I can get it published if I find interesting results.

Talking about that, I have thus far applied for 5 jobs, oddly all in DC. Jim is thankfully checking in with my client to see if he may have a job for me come June as I would love to stay in Durham for another year. But I'm also looking at applying for this two year fellowship in Winston-Salem. Should be interesting. I have to pump out a cover letter this weekend for it.

Oddly, this job hunting is just making me be thankful that I have a fun hobby that my pay check can support! So let's get to describing what I have been up to.

First, I need to mention that J makes a mean black bean soup. We also made potato's au gratin and some cornish game hens for dinner this past weekend. As for other cooking I did make a beef and barely soup which I think came out great. I currently have a version of it in my crockpot. I'm worried that the barely is going to over cook, but it seems so much easier to cook it in the crock pot compared to on the stove.

As for baking I do need to mention that Bethy got me Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home To Yours for Christmas. So for dessert last weekend I made a lemon custard. I do love custard and Dorie has such an easy recipe. It is definitely a keeper and often maker. I've also made a lemon poppy seed loaf with a bourbon whipped cream topping.

I'll share all these recipes this weekend as I should get to bed soon as my PMF test is tomorrow at 8 and I have to complete my Economics of the Family data project by 5 tomorrow. But just wanted to share as I have been negligent. Sorry I haven't taken pictures to share.

This weekend I'm hoping to make some lemon curd and scones and also the cookie mix jenny's mom made for me. I'm also hoping to experiment with Dorie's chocolate chip cookie recipe to make a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie!

Wish me luck!

Resolutions!

So I haven't quite decided what my resolutions for the new year will be as finding a job is likely a necessity and publishing my thesis is more of a dream but I think collecting cookie cutters shaped as the 48 contiguous states can count right? At any rate these are pretty cool!

http://www.thelittlefoxfactory.com/cookiecuttersamericana.html

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! It is officially 2010 and the year of the tiger! Having been born in the year of tiger, I feel that this is going to be a great year. I hope I am correct as the thesis needs to be written and a job needs to be found by May. I guess since it's a sign that I was born and will have to grow up in the same animal year.

Anyway, to ring in the new year I spent a quite evening at home with the rents. They got back from Vegas where they did not hit the mega buck and therefore are not able to buy me a kitchenaid stand mixer. Rather they both got sick. So I spent the evening at home watching TV, listening to music, hunting for recipes, and baking bread. I made Ina Garten's honey white sandwich bread and I think it is the best bread recipe I have tried yet. I know...lame right? But it was a nice way to ring in the new year. I think since it was a nice peacefuly night despite all the illegal fireworks going off in the valley that it means my 2010 will be easy going as well.

As for new years day ate my zoni and got my head swept. My fortune told me that I was going to have an execellent year, to study hard, not to get caught up in love or alcohol, and that traveling will pay off. Mom, dad, and I also made mochi with the mochi maker they bought. Seriously...a kitchenaid would have been nicer, but mom said that I needed to make mochi b/c it was the year of the tiger and I needed to have a good year. So, we made mochi. I also roasted a chicken for dinner. I feel like that is all I have done this winter bread. Roast birds. Mom and dad are making me brine and roast a turkey before I leave for North Carolina again. It should be fun. I'm going to try adapt my brine a bit and see if it comes out better than the one I made for christmas eve.

Anyway that's about it. Here is the recipe for the honey white sandwich bread. Hope everyone had a great start to 2010!!!

Honey White Bread

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 extra-large egg yolks
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan. Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with egg white and bake for 40-45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

As J would have it..

I wouldn't have had made pumpkin bread because he is tired of pumpkin baked goods. But as my defense, I did make a yeasted pumpkin bread. I personally think it came out great. Going to bring some over for my grandmother tomorrow afternoon. She'll like it. If she really likes it maybe I'll make some for J if he wants =p.

Anyway...here is the recipe.


Pumpkin Bread:
- Mix 2 teaspoons of yeast w/2 teaspoons of sugar in 1 and 3/4 cups of warm water.
-Mix water/yeast mixture into a bowl of 5 and 1/2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Knead for 10 minutes
- Let rise till doubles (about 1 and a 1/2 hours)
- Punch down and split dough into two loaf pans.
- Let rise for another hour and a half in pans.
- Bake at 450 degree's for 30 minutes.