Ozan Jaquette

Running in place: Low-income students and the dynamics of higher education stratification

The increasing concentration of wealthy students at highly selective colleges is widely perceived, but few analyses examine the underlying dynamics of higher education stratification over time. To examine these dynamics, the authors build an analysis data set of four cohorts from 1972 to 2004. They find that low-income students have made substantial gains in their academic course achievements since the 1970s. Nonetheless, wealthier students have made even stronger gains in achievement over the same period, in both courses and test scores, ensuring a competitive advantage in the market for selective college admissions. Thus, even if low-income students were “perfectly matched” to institutions consistent with their academic achievements, the stratification order would remain largely unchanged. The authors consider organizational and policy interventions that may reverse these trends.

Access Without Equity Longitudinal Analyses of Institutional Stratification by Race and Ethnicity, 1972–2004

The competitive dynamics that sustain stratification among postsecondary institutions have reinforced racial inequality in selective college enrollment between 1972 and 2004. Using a data set constructed from four nationally representative surveys (National Longitudinal Survey 1972, High School & Beyond 1980, National Educational Longitudinal Survey 1988, and Educational Longitudinal Survey 2002), the authors model how escalating admissions standards—including academic preparation and the growing importance of SAT scores and extracurricular leadership—effectively maintain racial inequality in selective college enrollment over time. Black and Latino students have made strides in their pre-collegiate academic preparation. Nevertheless, although access to postsecondary education has expanded since 1972 for all ethnic groups, Black and Latino students’ odds of selective college enrollment have declined relative to White and Asian American students.

Missing the (Student Achievement) Forest for All the (Political) Trees Empiricism and the Mexican American Studies Controversy in Tucson

The Arizona legislature passed HB 2281, which eliminated Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD’s) Mexican American Studies (MAS) program, arguing the curriculum was too political. This program has been at the center of contentious debates, but a central question has not been thoroughly examined: Do the classes raise student achievement? The current analyses use administrative data from TUSD (2008–2011), running logistic regression models to assess the relationship between taking MAS classes and passing AIMS (Arizona state standardized tests) and high school graduation. Results indicate that MAS participation was significantly related to an increased likelihood of both outcomes occurring. The authors discuss these results in terms of educational policy and critical pedagogy as well as the role academics can play in policy formation.

Using IPEDS for Panel Analyses: Core Concepts, Data Challenges, and Empirical Applications

Responding to demands from policymakers, higher education researchers increasingly utilize econometric modeling techniques to evaluate policies. In particular, researchers have applied panel methods to panel datasets derived from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and its predecessor the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS). Analyses may yield biased results when panel datasets are not properly constructed, potentially leading to misguided policy recommendations. This chapter provides guidance about how to create institution-level panel datasets that are appropriate for specific research questions. We first provide an overview of institution-level data sources. Second, we describe change over time in the HEGIS/IPEDS sampling universe and the unit of analysis (e.g., institution, campus) represented by each observation. Third, we discuss parent-child reporting, which occurs when institutions complete some IPEDS survey components (e.g., Completions) at the campus level and other survey components at the institution level. Parent-child reporting affects many empirical applications of IPEDS panel data and affects what research questions can be answered using premade panel data from the Delta Cost Project. Fourth, we discuss solutions to common data challenges. Finally, we discuss what kinds of research questions can be addressed using IPEDS data and data from the Delta Cost Project.

Tuition Rich, Mission Poor: Nonresident Enrollment Growth and the Socioeconomic and Racial Composition of Public Research Universities

Abstract:Many public research universities fail to enroll a critical mass of low-income and under-represented minority (URM) students. Though founded with a commitment to access, public research universities face pressure to increase tuition revenue and to recruit high-achieving students. These pressures create an incentive to recruit nonresident students, who tend to pay more tuition and score higher on admissions exams, but who also tend to be richer and are less likely be Black or Latino. This paper examines whether the growing share of nonresident students was associated with a declining share of low-income and URM students at public research universities. Institution-level panel models revealed that growth in the proportion of nonresident students was associated with a decline in the proportion of low-income students. This negative relationship was stronger at prestigious universities and at universities in high-poverty states. Growth in the proportion of nonresident students was also associated with a decline in the proportion of URM students. This negative relationship was stronger at prestigious universities, universities in states with large minority populations, and universities in states with affirmative action bans. These findings yield insights about the changing character of public research universities and have implications for the campus climate experienced by low-income and URM students.

Institutional Stratification and the Postcollege Labor Market: Comparing Job Satisfaction and Prestige across Generations.

Employing NCES databases, we investigate how college selectivity influences job satisfaction and prestige from the 1970s to the 1990s and across different racial categories. We find that the effect of college selectivity has essentially disappeared over time and that minority students are particularly disadvantaged with respect to job satisfaction.

Crowded Out? The Effect of Nonresident Enrollment on Resident Access to Public Research Universities

Public universities have pursued nonresident enrollment growth as a solution to the stagnation of state funding. Representatives of public universities often argue that nonresident tuition revenue is an important resource in efforts to finance access for resident students, whereas state policymakers are concerned that nonresident enrollment reduces opportunities for residents. This study investigated whether nonresident enrollment growth crowded out resident enrollment at public research universities using an instrumental variable identification strategy. For the sample of all public research universities, increased nonresident enrollment did not affect resident enrollment. For prestigious public research universities, nonresident enrollment growth had a negative effect on resident enrollment. The findings suggest that nonresident enrollment growth does not benefit resident access, as suggested by university administrators, nor does it harm resident access, as suggested by state policymakers. However, state policymakers may be concerned that nonresident enrollment crowds out resident access at prestigious public universities.

Growing the Pie? The Effect of Responsibility Center Management on Tuition Revenue

ABSTRACT Responsibility center management (RCM) budgeting systems devolve budget responsibility while creating funding formulas that provide incentives for academic units to generate revenues and decrease costs. A growing number of public universities have adopted RCM. The desire to grow tuition revenue has often been cited as a rationale for adoption. Previous research has not assessed the effect of RCM on institution-level tuition revenue. Traditional regression methods that calculate “average treatment effects” are inappropriate because RCM policies differ across universities. This study employed a synthetic control method (SCM) approach. The SCM approximates the counterfactual for an RCM adopter by creating a synthetic control institution composed of a weighted average of nonadopters. The SCM estimates the effect of RCM separately for each adopter rather than estimating the average effect across multiple adopters. We used SCM to analyze the effect of RCM adoption on tuition revenue at 4 public research universities that adopted RCM during 2008 to 2010. We found a positive relationship between RCM and tuition revenue at Iowa State University, Kent State University, and the University of Cincinnati. The magnitude of this relationship was moderately large relative to placebo adopters. We found no relationship between RCM and tuition revenue at the University of Florida.

The Moving Missions of Community Colleges: An Examination of Degree-Granting Profiles Over Time

Objective: Despite extensive debate about the curricular mission of community colleges, prior research has not sufficiently analyzed differences in the kinds of degrees (i.e., the field of study and award level) community colleges produce. Therefore, we explore both the fields of study and the levels at which public community colleges grant degrees and analyze how this has changed over time. Method: Multilevel latent class analysis is used here to estimate latent degree-granting profiles, and colleges are allocated into the profiles based on their observed degree-granting behaviors from 1987 to 2012. Results: The analysis shows that public community colleges can be allocated into five distinct degree-granting profiles over the period of study. A small minority of colleges have and continue to engage almost exclusively in a vocational mission. The two degree profiles that increased in prominence over time suggest an overall shift toward the simultaneous pursuit of transfer and vocational missions. However, a majority of colleges (68%) exhibited stable degree-granting behaviors between 1987 and 2012, indicating a relatively high level of stability in degree-granting patterns across community colleges during this period. Contribution: These patterns highlight variation across colleges and both stability and change within institutions over time. This suggests that public community colleges are simultaneously situated in strong institutional and technical environments and, thus, are subject to constraints and incentives that shape not only their stated policies but also their actual degree-granting behaviors.