Sarah E. Turner

Choice of Major: The Changing (Unchanging) Gender Gap

Within the arts, sciences, and engineering fields, differences between men and women in choice of college major have not lessened in the past two decades. In this paper, detailed data on choice of major and individual scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are used to examine the extent to which observed differences between men and women reflect the effects of pre-collegiate preparation (as reflected in SAT scores), as contrasted with a panoply of other forces. One conclusion is that there is a widening divide between the life sciences and math/physical science fields in their relative attractiveness to men and women. Differences in SAT scores account for only part of the observed gap, and an array of residual forces—including differences in preferences, labor market expectations, and gender-specific effects of the college experience—account for the main part of todays gender gaps in choice of academic major.

Back to School Federal Student Aid Policy and Adult College Enrollment

Much of the research examining the question of how federal financial aid affects decisions to enroll in college has focused on the behavior of students immediately following graduation, leaving unanswered the question of how changes in the availability of aid affects the behavior of older students. This article examines how changes in the means-tested federal Pell grant program affect enrollment decisions of potential students in their twenties and thirties. The results indicated sizable effects of the introduction of the Pell grant program on college enrollment decisions for older students.

Trade in university training: Cross-state variation in the production and stock of college-educated labor

The question of this analysis is how the production of college graduates at the state level affects the stock of college-educated workers in the state. The potential mobility of skilled workers implies that the number of college students graduating in an area need not affect the number of college graduates living in the area. However, the production of relatively large numbers of college graduates in a state may lead to increases in the employment of university-trained manpower if industries expand production of goods and services that use college-educated workers intensively. We find at best only a modest link between the production and stock of baccalaureate degree recipients.

Increasing Time to Baccalaureate Degree in the United States

Time to completion of the baccalaureate degree has increased markedly in the United States over the past three decades. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 and the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, we show that the increase in time to degree is localized among those who begin their postsecondary education at public colleges outside the most selective universities. We consider several potential explanations for these trends. First, we show that changes in the college preparedness and the demographic composition of degree recipients cannot account for the observed increases. Instead, our results identify declines in collegiate resources in the less selective public sector and increases in student employment as potential explanations for the observed increases in time to degree.

Closing the gap or widening the divide: The effects of the G.I. Bill and World War II on the educational outcomes of black Americans

The effects of the G.I. Bill on collegiate attainment may have differed for black and white Americans owing to differential returns to education and differences in opportunities at colleges and universities, with men in the South facing explicitly segregated colleges. The empirical evidence suggests that World War II and the availability of G.I. benefits had a substantial and positive impact on the educational attainment of white men and black men born outside the South. However, for those black veterans likely to be limited to the South in their educational choices, the G.I. Bill had little effect on collegiate outcomes, resulting in the exacerbation of the educational differences between black and white men from southern states.

Winning and Giving: Football Results and Alumni Giving at Selective Private Colleges and Universities

Objective. Our central question is how changes in an institutions football success affect giving behavior. Also, we consider whether former varsity athletes are more or less sensitive in their giving behavior than other alumni to the competitive success of their school and whether such effects differ by type of institution. Methods. Using micro data from 15 academically selective private colleges and universities, the analysis presents fixed‐effects estimates of how football winning percentages affect giving behavior. Results. General giving rates are unaffected by won‐lost records at the high‐profile Division IA schools and at the Ivy League schools. Increases in winning percentages yield modest positive increases in giving rates, particularly among former atheletes, at the lower‐profile Division III liberal arts colleges. Conclusions. While there is a modest positive effect at Division III colleges, our results do not support the notion that winning and giving go hand‐in‐hand at the selective private universities that play big‐time football.

Expanding Enrollments and Contracting State Budgets The Effect of the Great Recession on Higher Education

The Great Recession heightened a growing conflict in the United States between expanding enrollments in postsecondary education and contracting public budget support. Weak labor market conditions during the Great Recession encouraged college enrollments, with much of the increase in enrollment occurring outside the most selective institutions. While federal aid policies, including the Pell grant, became more generous, dramatic reductions in state budget allocations made it difficult for colleges and universities to maintain programming and accommodate student demand. As a result, the Great Recession has accelerated the cost-shifting from public subsidies to individual payments in higher education.

Dropouts and Diplomas: The Divergence in Collegiate Outcomes

Although collegiate attainment rates have risen in many developed and developing countries over the last three decades, they have remained essentially flat in the United States over the same period. In this chapter, we distinguish various models of degree attainment in the general context of theoretical and empirical specifications of educational attainment. To explain collegiate degree attainment, we consider the roles of student demand, the supply side of the postsecondary education market, and the role of public support in determining outcomes. Although the study of college degree attainment has traditionally focused on demand-side determinants of attainment, including how students finance college attainment and academic preparation, we present here the evidence that supply-side determinants including the level of public subsidies and the associated stratification among colleges and universities are also important determinants of degree attainment. Review of this evidence and research suggests a number of unexplored areas for economic research related to college choice, in-college attainment, and the supply-side determinants of stratification and resources per student.Although collegiate attainment rates have risen in many developed and developing countries over the last three decades, they have remained essentially flat in the United States over the same period. In this chapter, we distinguish various models of degree attainment in the general context of theoretical and empirical specifications of educational attainment. To explain collegiate degree attainment, we consider the roles of student demand, the supply side of the postsecondary education market, and the role of public support in determining outcomes. Although the study of college degree attainment has traditionally focused on demand-side determinants of attainment, including how students finance college attainment and academic preparation, we present here the evidence that supply-side determinants including the level of public subsidies and the associated stratification among colleges and universities are also important determinants of degree attainment. Review of this evidence and research suggests a number of unexplored areas for economic research related to college choice, in-college attainment, and the supply-side determinants of stratification and resources per student.

The flight from the arts and sciences: trends in degrees conferred.

After rising steadily between 1954 and 1968, the percentage of all bachelors degrees awarded in the arts and sciences declined dramatically. These swings cannot be explained by demographic variables; however, they have been affected by changes in the academic profiles of educational institutions that were in turn related to trends in enrollment. Even more important have been the changing choices of fields of study made by men and women (particularly in the case of the humanities), in part as a consequence of widening opportunities for women. The flight from the arts and sciences now appears to be over, and in the future gender-related variables can be expected to have less impact on the distribution of degrees conferred.

Labor Market Effects of Pensions and Implications for Teachers

While the retirement security landscape has changed drastically for most workers over the last twenty years, traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans remain the overwhelming norm for K12 teachers. Because DB plans pay off fully with a fixed income after retirement only if a teacher stays in the profession for decades and yield little or nothing if a teacher leaves early, DB plans induce a strong, nonlinear relationship between years of tenure and benefit accrual. One implication is that as many current teachers approach eligibility for full pensions, there are strong incentives for retirement and associated consequences in the teacher labor market. In this article, we assess the key features of DB plans, discuss the general incentive effects, and consider the application to the particular case of teachers. This work highlights the importance of assessing the characteristics of teachers who respond most to the retirement timing incentives.