scholarly journals Take Two! SAT Retaking and College Enrollment Gaps

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Goodman ◽  
Oded Gurantz ◽  
Jonathan Smith
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
High School Graduates ◽  
Causal Effects ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Sat Scores ◽  
Enrollment Rates ◽  
Enrollment Gaps

Only half of SAT-takers retake the exam, with even lower retake rates among low-income students and underrepresented minority (URM) students. We exploit discontinuous jumps in retake probabilities at multiples of 100, driven by left-digit bias, to estimate retaking’s causal effects. Retaking substantially improves SAT scores and increases four-year college enrollment rates, particularly for low-income and URM students. Eliminating disparities in retake rates could close up to 10 percent of the income-based gap and up to 7 percent of the race-based gap in four-year college enrollment rates of high school graduates. (JEL I21, I23, I24, J15)

The Hidden Costs of Corroboration: Estimating the Effects of Financial Aid Verification on College Enrollment

2021 ◽  
pp. 016237372198930
Author(s):  
Jason C. Lee ◽  
Madison Dell ◽  
Manuel S. González Canché ◽  
Alex Monday ◽  
Amanda Klafehn
Keyword(s):  
Financial Aid ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
High School Graduates ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Student Aid ◽  
Percentage Points

Every year, the U.S. Department of Education selects hundreds of thousands of low-income students to provide additional documentation to corroborate their financial aid eligibility in a process known as verification. Although many are concerned about the potential deleterious effects of being selected, to date, studies are limited to descriptive analyses. To fill this gap in the literature, we use population-level, multicohort data to estimate the effects of financial aid verification on initial college enrollment for recent high school graduates in Tennessee. An entropy balance weighting approach indicates that students selected for verification are 3.8 percentage points (4.9%) less likely to enroll in college with underserved populations and late Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filers most negatively affected.

scholarly journals Missed Exams and Lost Opportunities: Who Could Gain From Expanded College Admission Testing?

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 233285841985503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily E. Cook ◽  
Sarah Turner
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
High School Graduates ◽  
College Admission ◽  
College Attendance ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Admission Tests ◽  
Universal Testing ◽  
Admission Test

When students with the capacity to succeed in a 4-year college do not take a college admission test, this represents a potential loss of opportunity for students and colleges alike. However, the costs of testing—both pecuniary and nonpecuniary—may exceed the benefits for students who lack the interest in or qualifications for college attendance. In states like Virginia, access to admission tests varies markedly with district and family circumstances. We estimate that universal testing in Virginia could increase the number of high school graduates with test scores competitive for admission at broad-access universities in the state by as much as 40%—and at the most selective institutions by nearly 20%—with larger increases for low-income students. Alternative policies that encourage testing among students with strong demonstrated academic performance could realize nearly these increases without generating testing costs for students who are unlikely to attend a 4-year college.

Skills, Schools, and Credit Constraints: Evidence from Massachusetts

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Goodman
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
Credit Constraints ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Academic Skill ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Enrollment Rates

Low college enrollment rates among low-income students may stem from a combination of credit constraints, low academic skill, and low-quality schools. Recent Massachusetts data allow the first use of school district fixed effects in the analysis of credit constraints, leading to four findings. First, low-income students in Massachusetts have lower intended college enrollment rates than higher income students but also have dramatically lower skills and attend lower-quality school districts. Second, inclusion of skill controls greatly reduces but does not eliminate this intended enrollment gap. Third, inclusion of school district fixed effects has little further impact, with low-income students eight percentage points less likely to intend enrollment than higher income students of the same skill and from the same school district. Fourth, medium- and high-skilled low-income students appear the most constrained. State governments could use the methods employed here to target financial aid more efficiently.

scholarly journals Improving College Access and Success for Low-Income Students: Evidence from a Large Need-Based Grant Program

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Fack ◽  
Julien Grenet
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Enrollment Decisions ◽  
Grant Programs ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Grant Program ◽  
Enrollment Rates ◽  
The Impact

Using comprehensive administrative data on France's single largest financial aid program, this paper provides new evidence on the impact of large-scale need-based grant programs on the college enrollment decisions, persistence, and graduation rates of low-income students. We exploit sharp discontinuities in the grant eligibility formula to identify the impact of aid on student outcomes at different levels of study. We find that the provision of 1,500 euros cash allowances to prospective undergraduate or graduate students increases their college enrollment rates by 5 to 7 percent. Moreover, we show that need-based grants have positive effects on student persistence and degree completion. (JEL H52, I22, I24, I28, J24)

scholarly journals Evidence for the Influence of School Context on College Access

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Betsy R. Strick
Keyword(s):  
Asian American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
School Context ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Asian American Students ◽  
High Achieving Students ◽  
American Students ◽  
Enrollment Rates ◽  
Four Year Colleges

Since the release of the Coleman Report in 1966, studies (such as Sirin, 2005; Radford, Berkner, Wheeless, and Shepherd, 2010) have continued to find an association between socioeconomic status and educational attainment. Wyner, Bridgeland, and Diiulio (2007) observe that a progressively lower proportion of low-income, high achieving students remain successful as they advance from elementary school through college. The present study considers college enrollments from a college preparatory charter secondary school serving low-income students. The study finds that alumni enrolled in four-year colleges at a higher rate than did lottery-assigned comparison students. These four-year college enrollment findings held for Hispanic, African American, and Asian American students. At the same time, the overall college enrollment rates, meaning enrollment in two- and four-year colleges in contrast to no college enrollment, were quite similar for the Preuss School and comparison students. These results were achieved, this study suggests, through numerous academic and social supports that increase college eligibility rates and institute four-year college and financial aid applications as part of coursework. The four-year college enrollment findings offer the promise that schools can be arranged to increase academic opportunities for low-income students. 

Pricing Out the Disadvantaged? The Effect of Tuition Deregulation in Texas Public Four-Year Institutions

2014 ◽  
Vol 655 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella M. Flores ◽  
Justin C. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
Hispanic Students ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
Pell Grant ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Four Year Institutions ◽  
Tuition Deregulation

This article examines whether tuition deregulation in Texas (in 2003 the state legislature gave tuition-setting authority to institutional governing boards) has affected the college enrollment of underrepresented and low-income students. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we find that Hispanic students have been most negatively affected by tuition deregulation. Results for black students are largely mixed, in that we find an increase in college enrollment after deregulation in some specifications, while Pell Grant recipients, incoming and returning, appear to have experienced an increase in college enrollment following deregulation. Implications and recommendations for state governments considering this contentious legislation are provided.

¡Sí se Puede en Colaboración! Increasing College Placement Rates of Low-income Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 113 (7) ◽  
pp. 1435-1476
Author(s):  
Matthew Militello ◽  
Jason Schweid ◽  
John Carey
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High Schools ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
College Board ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
College Application

Background/Context Today we have moved from the debate of student opportunity to post-secondary educational setting to 100% access. That is, today's high school settings have been charged with preparing “college ready” graduates. Educational policy has leveraged mandates and sanctions as a mechanism to improve college placement rates, especially in high schools with a high percentage of low-income students. However, little empirical evidence exists to assist us in understanding how college readiness is actualized for low-income students. Focus of Study The purpose of this study was to identify specific strategies that schools employ to raise college application and attendance rates for low-income students. Research Design This study investigated 18 College Board Inspiration Award winning or honorable mention high schools across the United States. Phone interviews with all 18 schools informed the selection of five case study high schools. Data collection included interviews and observations with high school educators, parents, students, and other community members. Findings In this study, we describe evidence within and across the five case schools using a framework that was generated from the first phase of this study. These schools effectively improved college readiness by developing collaborative practices around: (1) Program Management, (2) External Partnerships, (3) Leadership, (4) College-focused Intervention Strategies, (5) Achievement-oriented School Culture, (6) Parental Outreach, (7) Systemic, Multileveled Intervention Strategies, (8) Use of Data, (9) Development and Implementation of Inclusive School Policies, and (10) Routinizing or Offloading Routine or Mundane Tasks. Conclusions/Implications This study operationalizes what effective practices look like in high schools with low-income students. The findings move beyond normative models to be implemented across sites to illustrations of exemplar practices that can guide collaborative efforts to enact the specific tasks necessary to improve college readiness for students.

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