11,401 research outputs found

    Affirmative Action Policies for Top-k Candidates Selection, With an Application to the Design of Policies for University Admissions

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    We consider the problem of designing affirmative action policies for selecting the top-k candidates from a pool of applicants. We assume that for each candidate we have socio-demographic attributes and a series of variables that serve as indicators of future performance (e.g., results on standardized tests). We further assume that we have access to historical data including the actual performance of previously selected candidates. Critically, performance information is only available for candidates who were selected under some previous selection policy. In this work we assume that due to legal requirements or voluntary commitments, an organization wants to increase the presence of people from disadvantaged socio-demographic groups among the selected candidates. Hence, we seek to design an affirmative action or positive action policy. This policy has two concurrent objectives: (i) to select candidates who, given what can be learnt from historical data, are more likely to perform well, and (ii) to select candidates in a way that increases the representation of disadvantaged socio-demographic groups. Our motivating application is the design of university admission policies to bachelor's degrees. We use a causal model as a framework to describe several families of policies (changing component weights, giving bonuses, and enacting quotas), and compare them both theoretically and through extensive experimentation on a large real-world dataset containing thousands of university applicants. Our paper is the first to place the problem of affirmative-action policy design within the framework of algorithmic fairness. Our empirical results indicate that simple policies could favor the admission of disadvantaged groups without significantly compromising on the quality of accepted candidates.Peer reviewe

    True Merit: Ensuring Our Brightest Students Have Access to Our Best Colleges and Universities

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    America's top colleges and universities should institute an admissions preference for low-income students because such students -- even when they are high-achievers academically -- now face unjustified barriers and make up a mere 3 percent of enrollment at the elite schools, according this report from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The Cooke Foundation found that such a "poverty preference" for admissions to selective higher education institutions, akin to existing preferences for athletes and the children of alumni, would create a more level playing field for disadvantaged students.The Cooke Foundation report shows dramatic differences between enrollment rates at the most selective schools for students from families with the highest and lowest incomes. It highlights the major challenges low-income, high-achieving students face when seeking admission to these colleges and universities.Perhaps the most significant new finding of the report is that the vast majority of students in America's most competitive institutions of higher education -- 72 percent -- come from the wealthiest 25 percent of the U.S. population. In sharp contrast, only 3 percent of students in the most selective schools come from the 25 percent of families with the lowest incomes. The report is the first comprehensive analysis conducted on the postsecondary admissions process as it affects high-achieving, low-income applicants

    The Texas 10% law and its impact on admitted students.

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    This qualitative case study explored the experiences of 10 Top 10% African American and Hispanic students at Texas A&M University. The purpose of the study was to examine how the Texas Top 10% Law influenced underrepresented students\u27 perceptions of the law, application to universities under the law\u27s provisions, and feelings of acceptance at a Texas flagship institution. Critical race theory (CRT) served as the theoretical framework for the study. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The study confirmed linkages with CRT research on underrepresented students\u27 experiences with Affirmative Action policy through exploration of social construction, differential racialization, and intersectionality. Findings indicated that (a) race and diversity on college campuses are still prevalent issues for African American and Hispanic students, (b) high-achieving African American and Hispanic students emphasize their merit rather than Affirmative Action policy for their presence at predominantly White institutions, PWIs, (c) family expectations and financial support for Top 10% African American and Hispanic students are miniscule, and (d) there is limited understanding and knowledge of the Top 10% Law in African American and Hispanic communities. These findings are meaningful to higher education officials, elected leaders, and policy makers in several ways. First, results clearly indicate that the Top 10% Law is working, as reflected in the demographic composition of racially isolated schools. Second, the emphasis of the Top 10% law is on undergraduate admissions; the law does not impact enrollments or diversity goals for graduate and professional schools. Third, communication and dissemination of information between K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions lack consistency. Stories and statements from study participants validated much of the research on college choice and access. Using CRT as a framework, this study provided an alternative perspective on how African American and Hispanic students perceived, related to, and applied the Top 10% Law

    Would the Elimination of Affirmative Action Affect Highly Qualified Minority Applicants? Evidence from California and Texas

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    Between 1996 and 1998 California and Texas eliminated the use of affirmative action in college and university admissions. At the states' elite public universities admission rates of black and Hispanic students fell by 30-50 percent and minority representation in the entering freshman classes declined. In this paper we ask whether the elimination of affirmative action caused any change in the college application behavior of minority students in the two states. A particular concern is that highly qualified minorities - who were not directly affected by the policy change - would be dissuaded from applying to elite public schools, either because of the decline in campus diversity or because of uncertainty about their admission prospects. We use information from SAT-takers in the two states to compare the fractions of minority students who sent their test scores to selective state institutions before and after the elimination of affirmative action. We find no change in the SAT-sending behavior of highly qualified black or Hispanic students in either state.

    Affirmative Action Policies: An International Perspective

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    human development, culture

    Increasing Access to the University of California: A Case Study of Senate Constitutional Amendment 7

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    The purpose of this case study was to examine alternatives to the admissions process for students seeking enrollment in the University of California. As the University of California was the first public university in the nation to eliminate the consideration of race within their admissions process under SP-1, this study focused on undergraduate admissions solely within this institution. In addition, SP-1 did not ban affirmative action therefore this study did not focus on it. It should be noted that the University of California Board of Regents established SP-1 based upon Governor Wilson\u27s executive order which called for the end of preferential treatment and to promote individual opportunity based on merit. SP-1 includes no reference to affirmative action. Under section 9, of SP-1 the University\u27s policy is established to achieve a UC population that reflects the state\u27s diversity through preparation and not based upon artificial preferences. SP-1 bans what they call artificial preferences but they do not define it. SP-1 forbids the University from using race, religion, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin as criteria for admission to the institution. Admissions based upon these criteria do not constitute affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy which protects minority groups\u27 opportunity to obtain their share of resources necessary for their preservation. Affirmative action provides positive steps toward ending segregation. According to Smith (1998) affirmative action\u27s primary political function is not to compensate African Americans for past discrimination but to protect their human rights against the tyranny of oppression and racism. (Affirmative Action Measures Do Not Discriminate, 1998, pg. 2) As Forbes goes on to state, providing a remedy for past victims of exclusion is not the granting of preferences but is the bringing to an end of previous preferences granted exclusively to white persons. (Desegregation, Diversity and Affirmative Action in the University of California, 1997, pg. I) Affirmative action does not impose preferences. The term affirmative action, is used in California statutes that guide public education, but the term is not defined. California statutes that require affirmative action do not impose preferences. Based upon these facts this study focused on the need to increase the number ofunderrepresented students admitted to the University of California under the new admissions policy and will limit the discussion of affirmative action. Specifically, this case study examined a legislative policy, Senate Constitutional Amendment 7, (SCA 7). Introduced by Senator Teresa P. Hughes, SCA 7 proposed to redefine the criteria for student admission to the University of California. SCA 7 proposed to change the selection criteria for admissions by requiring the University of California to admit students who have met the academic criteria and rank in the top 4 percent from each public high school graduating class. The research questions which guided the case study were as follows: What factors and challenges exist that make it difficult for African-American, Latino and Native American students to gain access to the University of California? What types of statutory provisions and retention efforts can be established to solve the stagnant growth of underrepresented students in higher education? What are the current admission requirements and policies that govern the selection of a student body at the University of California? What proportion of high school graduates within the state are currently eligible to attend the University of California? What are the current differences in eligibility rates across demographic categories for students eligible to attend the University of California? What are some alternatives toward increasing diversity of student enrollment that the University of California can implement in its admissions process other than race

    Centralized college admissions and student composition

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    Education markets are increasingly switching to centralized admission systems. However, empirical evidence of the effects of these transitions is scarce. We examine the consequences of introducing centralized admissions in the higher education market in Brazil. Using detailed administrative data, we exploit the staggered adoption of a centralized clearinghouse across institutions to investigate the impacts on student composition. Consistent with lower application frictions and higher competition, we find that centralization is associated with a decline in the share of female students and an increase in the average age of students. We also document that institutions under the centralized assignment attract students from other locations and with higher test scores. We present suggestive evidence that centralization increases stratification of institutions by quality, widening the gap between low and high quality institutions
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