scholarly journals College on the Cheap: Consequences of Community College Tuition Reductions

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey T. Denning
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
First Year ◽  
College Tuition ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Experimental Variation ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Over Time

This paper examines the effects of community college tuition on college enrollment. I exploit quasi-experimental variation from discounts for community college tuition in Texas that were expanded over time and across geography for identification. Community college enrollment in the first year after high school increased by 5.1 percentage points for each $1,000 decrease in tuition, which implies an elasticity of —0.29. Lower tuition also increased transfer from community colleges to universities. Marginal community college enrollees induced to attend by reduced tuition have similar graduation rates as average community college enrollees. (JEL H75, I22, I23, I28)

Effects of Reduced Community College Tuition on College Choices and Degree Completion

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-71
Author(s):  
Riley Acton
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
College Credit ◽  
For Profit ◽  
College Tuition ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
College Choices ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees

Recent efforts to increase college access and completion concentrate on reducing tuition rates at community colleges, but researchers and policymakers alike have expressed concern that such reductions may not lead to long-term gains in college completion. In this paper, I use detailed data on students' college enrollment and completion outcomes to study how community college tuition rates affect students' outcomes across both public and private colleges. By exploiting spatial variation in tuition rates, I find that reducing tuition at a student's local community college by $1,000 increases enrollment at the college by 3.5 percentage points (18%) and reduces enrollment at non-local community colleges, for-profit institutions, and other private, vocationally-focused colleges, by 1.9 percentage points (15%). This shift in enrollment choices increases students' persistence in college, credit completion, and the probability that they transfer to and earn bachelor's degrees from four-year colleges.

scholarly journals Supporting Community College Students from Start to Degree Completion: Long-Term Evidence from a Randomized Trial of CUNY’s ASAP

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Weiss ◽  
Alyssa Ratledge ◽  
Colleen Sommo ◽  
Himani Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Randomized Experiments ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
The City

Nationwide, graduation rates at community colleges are discouragingly low. This randomized experiment provides evidence that graduation rates can be increased dramatically. The City University of New York’s (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) is a comprehensive, integrated, 3-year program that has an estimated 18 percentage point effect on 3-year graduation rates, increases 6-year graduation rates by an estimated 10 percentage points, and helps students graduate more quickly. Graduation effect estimates of this magnitude are exceptional in randomized experiments conducted in higher education, offering hope of what is possible when serving low-income students. (JEL H75, I23, I24, I28)

No Excuses Charter Schools and College Enrollment: New Evidence from a High School Network in Chicago

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Davis ◽  
Blake Heller
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Charter Schools ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
College Attendance ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Capital Gains ◽  
College Matriculation ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Four Year Institutions

Although it is well known that certain charter schools dramatically increase students' standardized test scores, there is considerably less evidence that these human capital gains persist into adulthood. To address this matter, we match three years of lottery data from a high-performing charter high school to administrative college enrollment records and estimate the effect of winning an admissions lottery on college matriculation, quality, and persistence. Seven to nine years after the lottery, we find that lottery winners are 10.0 percentage points more likely to attend college and 9.5 percentage points more likely to enroll for at least four semesters. Unlike previous studies, our estimates are powerful enough to uncover improvements on the extensive margin of college attendance (enrolling in any college), the intensive margin (persistence of attendance), and the quality margin (enrollment at selective, four-year institutions). We conclude by providing nonexperimental evidence that more recent cohorts at other campuses in the network increased enrollment at a similar rate.

scholarly journals Inside the Math Trap: Chronic Math Tracking From High School to Community College

2020 ◽  
pp. 004208592090891
Author(s):  
Federick J. Ngo ◽  
David Velasquez
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Urban Community ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Urban Community Colleges

Examining linked academic transcripts from urban community colleges and their feeder high schools, we identify math course-taking patterns that span sectors. We highlight stifled mobility and chronic repetition of math coursework in the transition to college, and we identify “math traps” from which students do not escape. Math mobility was limited, math repetition was rampant, and nearly half of students found themselves in math traps. All else equal, being trapped in math was significantly linked to race/ethnicity, suggesting that these forms of chronic math tracking across sectors expose previously undocumented forms of inequality in educational experiences.

Understanding Determinants for STEM Major Choice Among Students Beginning Community College

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-251
Author(s):  
Colleen A. Evans ◽  
Rong Chen ◽  
Ryan P. Hudes
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
College Major ◽  
Major Choice ◽  
Science Laboratory ◽  
Advanced Mathematics ◽  
Stem Major

Objective: This study explored how high school and postsecondary academic parameters may relate to the choice of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major for students beginning their postsecondary education at community colleges. Our study incorporated these two clusters of factors into a statistical model to examine STEM major choice in community colleges. In particular, our study was one of the first to examine the direction and magnitude of the relationship between earned college credits in science laboratories and advanced mathematics and STEM college major selection. Method: We analyzed national data from the Education Longitudinal Study (2002) for students who were in 10th grade in 2002, entered community college as their first postsecondary institution, and declared a college major by 2006. A comprehensive integrated model was analyzed through binary logistic regression with the outcome variable of choice of STEM major or not. Results: We found math self-efficacy in high school, postsecondary introductory science laboratory courses, and postsecondary advanced mathematics courses were each positively associated with the choice of STEM major among community college students. Gender continues to be influential, with women less likely to pursue STEM than men. Contributions: Our study highlights the opportunities the science laboratory holds for engaging beginning community college students interested in STEM fields. The linchpin role of mathematics and science for students aspiring to study STEM is underscored by the findings of this study.

The Community College at the Crossroads: The Need for Structural Reform

1991 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Dougherty
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Educational Aspirations ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Baccalaureate Degree ◽  
State Universities ◽  
Alternative Route ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees ◽  
Four Year Colleges

Community colleges offer many students an alternative route to achieving a baccalaureate degree. In this article, Kevin Dougherty analyzes data on these institutions to see how effective they are in helping students transfer to and succeed in four-year colleges. After controlling for differences in family background, high school record, and educational aspirations of students entering two- and four-year colleges, the author finds that community college entrants receive fewer bachelor's degrees. While finding a strong case for reform, Dougherty argues that present reformers need to keep in mind the comprehensive nature of the community college and be sure that their reform proposals will preserve rather than diminish the services it offers students. Dougherty then discusses two sweeping reforms: transforming community colleges into four-year colleges, and converting them into two-year branches of state universities.

Investigating High School Students’ Self-Efficacy in Reading Circles

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine LeBlanc
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
First Year ◽  
School Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Reading Anxiety ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Academic Year

The purpose of this quasi-experimental longitudinal study is to investigate the effects of EFL reading circles on Japanese high school students’ reading self-efficacy and reading anxiety. The participants (N = 316), first-year students at a Japanese coeducational high school, participated in regular reading circles over the course of one academic year. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires measuring reading self-efficacy, reading anxiety, and attitudes towards reading circles. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to evaluate changes in reading self-efficacy and anxiety. Reading self-efficacy was shown to improve significantly over the course of the academic year, while reading anxiety significantly decreased. Reasons for these changes are discussed. この特定の被験者に対する継続的実験研究の目的は、日本の高校生の英文読解に対する自己効力感と不安感に、EFLリーディングサークルがどのような効果をもたらすかについて調査することである。316人の被験者は日本の男女共学の高校一年生であり、1年間を通して定期的にリーディングサークルに参加した。定量的データは、読解における自己効力感、不安感、そしてリーディングサークルに対する態度を測る質問票から集計されたものである。読解に対する自己効力感と不安感の変化を評価するために反復測定分散分析（ANOVA）が行われた。1年の間に、読解に対する自己効力感は有意に向上し、不安感は有意に減少した。本論では、こういった変化の理由についても論じている。

Are Community Colleges an Alternative Path for Hispanic Students to Attain a Bachelor's Degree?

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Melguizo
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Hispanic Students ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Institutional Characteristics ◽  
High School Senior ◽  
Senior Class ◽  
School Senior

Background/Context This study contributes to the longstanding debate over whether community colleges democratize education or divert students from attaining a bachelor's degree. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The objective of this study is to determine whether Hispanic students have a lower chance of earning a bachelor's degree (B.A.) if they transfer from a community college. Population/Participants/Subjects This study uses the High School and Beyond Sophomore sample (HS&B/So) high school senior class of 1982 and the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/2000) high school senior class of 1992 to compare the progress of two samples of “traditional” Hispanic transfer and Hispanic “rising junior” students. The final sample is composed of 220 students from the high school senior class of 1982 and 140 students from the high school senior class of 1992. Research Design Regression analysis is used to identify the effect of being a transfer student on B.A. attainment, after controlling for individual characteristics and institutional characteristics of the community college. Simulation analysis is used to identify the factors that affected B.A. attainment in the 1980s, which are used to predict B.A. rates a decade later. Findings/Results The results show that the negative impact of being a transfer student in the 1980s had disappeared within a decade. The results suggest that the relatively lower attainment rate of Hispanic transfer students is the result of individual characteristics and lack of academic preparation rather than institutional characteristics. Conclusions/Recommendations Although community colleges have the potential to be an alternative path toward a B.A., until transfer rates increase, Hispanics may be better off beginning their college education at a 4-year institution.

Baccalaureate Expectations of Community College Students: Socio-Demographic, Motivational, and Contextual Influences

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueli Wang
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Academic Integration ◽  
Educational Expectations ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Motivational Beliefs

Background/Context Although much research has dealt with the factors that influence educational expectations, few studies have addressed recent high school graduates who attend community colleges as their first postsecondary institutions. As the costs associated with attending a four-year institution keep rising, community colleges increasingly serve as an affordable entry for many socioeconomically underprivileged students who aspire to earn a bachelor's degree and above. The question of sustaining these educational expectations—an essential precursor to the actualization of educational goals—becomes even more important knowledge to pursue. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This research investigates socio-demographic, motivational, and postsecondary contextual factors underlying community college students’ baccalaureate expectations. The study highlights various influences affecting these educational expectations of community college students, thus improving the understanding of the relationship among student backgrounds, motivational beliefs, college experience, and the development of baccalaureate expectations. Population/Participants/Subjects This study is based on a nationally representative sample of spring 2004 high school seniors who were part of the second follow-up study of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) and who enrolled in a community college as their first postsecondary institution within two years of graduation from high school. Among the 12,500 students of the 2004 senior cohort who completed the second follow-up interview, roughly 3,000 students who attended community colleges as their first postsec-ondary institutions were selected as the study's sample. Research Design The proposed conceptual model was tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. After fitting the SEM model for the entire sample and assessing its overall fit, a multiple group analysis was used to ascertain whether the structural model is invariant across gender groups. Findings/Results Results indicate that community college students’ baccalaureate expectations two years after high school were directly and positively influenced by their initial baccalaureate expectations during the high school senior year and their academic integration during the first year of college, but were negatively associated with the number of subjects for remedial work they received. In addition, socio-demographic backgrounds, parental expectations, and motivational beliefs of students indirectly affected subsequent baccalaureate expectations by directly influencing initial expectations. Motivational beliefs also exerted a direct effect on college academic integration, which in turn contributed to students’ subsequent baccalaureate expectations. Conclusions/Recommendations This study illuminates the importance of cultivating positive motivational beliefs, promoting academic integration, and improving remedial practices to help community college students move further toward their educational goals. This knowledge should help community college leaders seek innovative ways to better streamline student choices in alignment with their educational expectations.

Ready for College? Examining the Effectiveness of Targeted Interventions in High School

2021 ◽  
pp. 016237372110367
Author(s):  
Zeyu Xu ◽  
Ben Backes ◽  
Amanda Oliveira ◽  
Dan Goldhaber
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Regression Discontinuity Design ◽  
College Level ◽  
Remedial Courses ◽  
School Students ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
College Ready ◽  
Percentage Points

Kentucky’s Targeted Interventions (TI) program is a statewide intervention intended to prepare non-college-ready high school students for college-level coursework. Using a difference-in-regression discontinuity design, we find that TI reduces the likelihood that students enroll in remedial courses by 8 to 10 percentage points in math. These effects are similar or stronger among students who are eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, students with remediation needs in multiple subjects, and students in lower performing schools. TI also increases the likelihood that students enroll in and pass college math before the end of the first year in 4-year universities by 4 percentage points and by 9 percentage points among free/reduced-price lunch eligible students. However, we do not find evidence of TI affecting credit accumulation or persistence.

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