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

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

College Choice Criteria Utilizing Conjoint Analysis Enabled on a SaaS Platform

College enrollments and low to moderate household incomes are stagnating while tuition costs are increasing. The New York State Legislature enacted the nation’s first tuition-free degree program, the Excelsior Scholarship, designed to make a college education more affordable to middle class families. This legislation can impact what institution of higher education students will choose upon high school graduation. In order to understand the choice criteria for selecting an institution of higher education, a research study was conducted among a representative sample of high school upper classmen and parents of this respondent segment. The data collection and analysis were accomplished using an information management technology platform leveraging a statistical technique; “choice based conjoint analysis (CBC)”. This is a SaaS platform called Discover CBC. The platform is developed by Sawtooth Software, a leading technology provider in information management for complex problems, especially when understanding and predicting consumer choice is required. Key themes discovered in the research in terms of choice criteria for a college/university are relatively low cost but also the importance of college/university campus racial and ethnic diversity among parents and college bound high school students

Towards a holistic higher education branding

Higher education branding (HEB) has recently been in focus as an important solution in differentiating and communicating the competitive advantage of universities. In general, educational services include several factors that can be examined in the marketing and branding of higher education at different stages of the educational experience. Although the results of branding in higher education and its outcomes for universities are well documented from different perspectives, research is still lacking to develop a comprehensive approach to all the factors influencing the HEB process, specially from a service approach. In this regard, this thesis presents three studies with the aim of examining the effective factors of branding in the higher education sector as providers of special services and particular experiences for students. The first study provides an overview of HEB following a service design approach to find significant gaps and deficiencies in the literature. The second study offers a valuable contribution to the understanding of HEB through presenting a holistic conceptual model which supports the nature of educational experiences and services, providing an integrated approach to the branding process. Subsequently, the third study contributes to refine and validate the proposed scale to measure the dimensions and subdimensions of the HEB model through a two-stage study using data collected from fresh alumni and students of six universities from two countries, Iran and Portugal. Overall, the results corroborate the importance of HEB dimensions, and statistically significant evidence in the data analysis indicates that the main concepts are significantly associated with the construct and the HEB model is valid. Therefore, the proposed model can be used in the process of measuring the success and strength of the higher education brand in different stages (pre-experience, experience, post-experience) of educational services.A educação, enquanto requisito fundamental ao desenvolvimento das sociedades, visa capacitar os estudantes com competências direcionadas para a eficácia motivando-os a participar nos processos de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento do conhecimento. O ensino superior é considerado um serviço que, oferecido pelas universidades, em última instância, deve suscitar estímulos mentais a partir dos quais os estudantes deverão adquiri novas competência. A variedade de serviços oferecidos, disparidade de stakeholders, dificuldade em avaliar a qualidade antes da aquisição, o papel dos estudantes na cocriação do processo de aprendizagem e as mudanças nas suas expectativas fazem com que a educação seja um serviço único e as universidades organizações complexas. O aumento da concorrência e os vários desafios que caraterizam atualmente o ensino superior, fazem da gestão da marca uma estratégia essencial para distinguir as universidades e oferecer vantagem competitiva. Neste contexto, a marca das universidades é encarada como uma solução para atrair recursos e capital criativo, diferenciar e comunicar a vantagem competitiva, melhorar a competitividade e a reputação e dar mais ênfase à melhoria da qualidade do serviço. O processo de gestão da marca por parte das instituições de ensino superior pode proporcionar vantagens competitivas e, simultaneamente, influenciar a satisfação das partes envolvidas (colaboradores, corpo docente, estudantes, e outros parceiros internos e externos). Embora se trate de um campo do conhecimento bastante consolidado na área do Marketing, a literatura reconhece que a marca das universidades deve ser equacionada em conformidade com as peculiaridades que caraterizam a complexidade do ensino superior. O sucesso global de uma marca universitária depende do equilíbrio entre a integridade académica e as exigências dos estudantes tendo em conta etapas da experiência (préexperiência, experiência e pós-experiência) e considerando as expectativas do mercado de trabalho. De facto, a qualidade do serviço e a marca são duas fontes importantes para alcançar uma vantagem competitiva no contexto do ensino superior. Esta investigação, numa abordagem de marketing de serviços, mais concretamente focada na marca em instituições de ensino superior e serviços educacionais, pretende contribuir para esclarecer a seguinte questão de investigação: “até que ponto é que as instituições de ensino superior e as universidades utilizam abordagens de marketing e de gestão da marca?”. A subsequente questão específica pretende avaliar “de que modo as instituições de ensino superior e as universidades, sendo consideradas organizações prestadoras de serviços, com caraterísticas e responsabilidades específicas, aplicam o processo de desenho do serviço para criar um modelo de gestão da marca adaptado às universidades?”. Neste contexto, foram traçados três objetivos: caraterizar o estado da arte sobre a marca em instituições de ensino superior numa abordagem de design de serviços (Estudo 1); conceptualizar um modelo holístico e abrangente de gestão da marca no contexto do ensino superior (Estudo 2); contribuir para uma escala destinada a medir a gestão a marca em instituições de ensino superior (Estudo 3). A originalidade desta pesquisa reside na sua abordagem abrangente e integrada na medida em que contempla dimensões e atributos específicos da marca e do marketing aplicados ao caso específico do ensino superior fundamentados numa abordagem de design de serviços. O estudo 1 carateriza o estado da arte relativamente à gestão marca em instituições de ensino superior, numa abordagem de design de serviço e na perspetiva do cliente, com o propósito de identificar lacunas na literatura e perspetivar investigação futura. Consideraram-se instituições de ensino superior e universidades organizações prestadores de serviços tendo os alunos como seus principais clientes. O estudo 2 dedica-se à identificação dos temas e conceitos mais frequentes na literatura com o propósito de caracterizar o constructo neste contexto específico, identificar dimensões pertinentes e gerar os respetivos itens. Através da integração de contributos de diferentes áreas do Marketing e do Marketing de Serviços e, em particular, da gestão da marca e do branding, este estudo propõe um modelo conceptual integrado em contexto de gestão da marca nas universidades, alinhado com a natureza das experiências e serviços educacionais – modelo de Higher Education Branding (HEB). O estudo 3 assume-se como um contributo para o desenvolvimento de uma escala destinada a mensurar empiricamente o modelo HEB. A um intenso processo de validação de dimensões e itens no qual participaram especialistas nas áreas do Marketing e da Gestão em contexto universitário, seguiu-se a recolha de dados através de inquérito por questionário, junto de recentes alumni em instituições de ensino superior, em Portugal e no Irão. A análise de confiabilidade e coerência interna permitiram refinar o modelo. Posteriormente, foi realizado um segundo momento de recolha de dados, desta vez, entre alunos atuais em quatro universidades públicas e duas privadas, no Irã e em Portugal. Nesta etapa, os alunos de diferentes áreas de estudo (design, marketing e gestão, economia e sociologia) foram convidados a participar. Perante um construto hierárquico de terceira ordem, o software PLS-PM foi utilizado para estimar as escalas do modelo HEB numa abordagem mista, bietápica. De um modo geral, os resultados corroboram as dimensões consideradas no âmbito do HEB. Evidências estatisticamente significativas decorrentes da análise dos dados indicam que os principais conceitos estão significativamente associados ao construto principal e que o modelo HEB é válido, podendo ser utilizado no processo de mensuração da força da marca em instituições de ensino superior. Esta investigação contribui para a teoria na medida em que propõe um modelo integrado de gestão da marca em organizações de ensino superior. Uma das implicações mais importantes e práticas desta pesquisa é o reconhecimento da adequação do uso da abordagem da experiência em três etapas - pré-experiência, experiência e pós-experiência – em contexto de serviços educacionais e o facto de colocar a gestão da marca numa perspetiva operacional através da identificação das suas dimensões e respetivos itens numa ótica de mensuração. O modelo conceptual proposto adotou vários conceitos de HEB e marketing de serviços em contexto educativo ao nível do ensino superior e integra elementos do Marketing Mix nas universidades, tais como o Produto (conteúdo e pedagogia), Processo (processo interno e prestação de serviço), Política ( estratégia de gestão universitária), Prospeção (expectativas e resultados do serviço), Promoção (comunicação universitária, Imagem, identidade e ranking), Instalações físicas e de apoio (infraestruturas, ambientes e equipamentos), Preço (aspetos financeiros), Local (localização: país, cidade e campus) e Pessoas (principais parceiros). Em resumo, o modelo de gestão da marca em instituições de ensino superior fornece um conjunto completo de itens para medir a força da marca e o sucesso das universidades (públicas e privadas). Alinhar as expectativas dos alunos (em diferentes estágios de experiências educacionais) e do mercado de trabalho dá direções às universidades para desenvolver experiências valiosas com impactos de longo prazo e ajudá-las a se diferenciarem dos concorrentes. Como sugestões para investigações futuras surgem o interesse em desenvolver os procedimentos teóricos conducentes ao desenvolvimento de uma escala, o teste efetivo do modelo em diferentes contextos culturais, áreas de formação, instituições públicas versus privadas, entre outras

Towards a branding oriented higher education sector: an overview of the four perspectives on university marketing studies

The paper provides a background to the discussion of the evolution and influence of marketing and brand management within UK universities. Four perspectives are considered, namely, marketing management in universities, branding in universities, corporate branding in universities and internal branding. The discussion suggests that higher education institutions are encouraged on all sides to become more market oriented. Private universities, which may be more dependent upon tuition fees (since they receive less funding from the government), appear to be ahead of public universities in using the initiatives in internal brand communication. Employees need to understand the brand values, in order to align their attitudes and behaviour in support of the corporate brand. Although internal branding has become important for universities in increasingly competitive markets, it is still recognised as a new phenomenon and therefore more research is encouraged in this area

Understanding the Academic Success of Black Caribbean Immigrant Students Who Have Earned a Graduate Degree at an Ivy League University

Caribbean-American students who pursue higher education at Ivy League institutions most often maintain a strong ethnic identification with the race and culture of their birth. As described by Waters (2001a) and Vickerman (2001), the ethnic pride and solidarity of these first and second-generation Caribbean immigrants have made a positive impact on their self-image, thus enabling many to become upwardly mobile as they confront prejudice and resist societal misperceptions of their culture (Waters, 2001; Vickerman, 2001). Therefore, even after they have spent many years absorbing American culture while “sitting comfortably at the black and white table,” Caribbean-Americans do not see themselves as exemplars of European culture (Waters, 2001; Vickerman, 2001). Waters (1996; 1999), believes that West Indians prefer to create a positive association with race and that double marginalization rarely exists in the self-perception of Black Caribbean immigrant students. However, studies reveal that a growing number of researchers are examining issues to determine what students are doing “right,” compared to what they are doing “wrong” (Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Treviño, 1997; Fries-Britt, 2002; Shushok and Hulme, 2006; Griffin, 2006). With the understanding that first and second-generation Black Caribbean immigrants view race and the issues of blackness differently than Black Americans, the research questions are implicitly informed and formulated accordingly. Therefore, this study examined the perception of Black Caribbean immigrant graduates from Ivy League institutions as they explained the phenomena of how their successes are often influenced by social, cultural and economic factors to overcome barriers to graduate degree from the Ivy League Universities. The study sought to analyze the perception of these graduates, particularly the willingness of black immigrant graduates to step away from a deficit model because of one or more of the following factors to gain visibility in their efforts. These included: (1) the increasing enrollment of Black Caribbean immigrant students in Ivy League universities; (2) The strategies Black Caribbean immigrant students used to advance their standards of excellence; (3) The Black Caribbean immigrant students’ perception of the Ivy Leagues and how this perception influenced their academic and professional lives; and (4) The growing need for diversity in higher education in order to influence positive psychological discourse in education. Qualitative data were collected from Black Caribbean immigrants who graduated from Ivy League University in the USA. Fifteen (15) semi-structured, personal interviews were conducted. The results enhanced, supported and added to the limited research on Black Caribbean immigrant students’ journey through the Ivy Leagues and their lived experiences. The findings provided insight on how early socialization, intrinsic motivation, cultural awareness, teachers input, academic preparedness, parents support, extended family support, the grit mind-set and community reinforcement shaped and informed these students’ ability to navigate the Ivy Leagues to graduate. Subsequently, the analysis revealed that these characteristics mentioned above all worked together to provide the understanding of the academic success of Caribbean immigrant students. The participants recommended that more Black Caribbean immigrant students should be given the opportunities, as well as the resources and support to navigate these selective universities. Additionally, one recommendation was that a feeder institution could provide efficient use of human resources and could help enhance talents. This could be accomplished by harnessing growth and shaping the direction and effectiveness of what motivates and sustains Caribbean immigrant students to greater nation building

Global Forces, Local Perceptions: Measuring the Normalization Effects of University Rankings in China

China has become one of the most important players in the landscape of higher education worldwide. The nation is home to the largest tertiary sector in the world, is the leading sender of international students, the third largest receiver of international students, and its government has aggressively pushed internationalization policies at its top universities. Policymakers and educational stakeholders in China have been implementing these strategies in order to chase world-class status for the nation’s universities. While the world-class university concept is ubiquitous across the globe, there has been no agreed upon definition for these elite institutions. In China, though, rankings have been adopted to make sense of this elite status. This dissertation explores the impact that university rankings have had on the Chinese higher education system. There has been considerable research on university rankings in China, but some gaps remain. Studies have explored Chinese universities’ ambitions for world-class status, but rankings are often marginalized within these studies. Studies on the impact of university rankings have mostly focused on their connection to Chinese international students, as league tables have key tools in decision-making for this population. Conversely, research that has focused on domestic students has emphasized geographic biases in university admissions and affluence advantages in the system, and usually has not engaged with global or local rankings. To fill these gaps, my study centers university rankings within the intersection of the local and global settings. I used two original datasets to engage this exploration of how university rankings impact Chinese universities. First, I interviewed 48 faculty and staff members from the elite spectrum of the Chinese higher education sector. Through the interviews, I investigated how the concept of the world-class university relates to university rankings in China. I confirmed that these league tables have provided a concrete, commensurate indicator for decision-makers to make sense of the global higher education hierarchy, with specific cut-offs to be considered world-class. Further, I examined the intersection between global ranking ambitions of Chinese universities coupled with stringent control from the central government through the striving model. I found that while international forces have had considerable impact on these institutions, local characteristics are highly filtered through a Chinese domestic lens, as governmental distinction has dominated the focus of elite universities. Concurrently, I surveyed over 900 students from across Chinese universities in an exploration of ranking familiarity and knowledge. Through multivariate analysis, I found that students from affluent classes, elite universities, and those with study abroad ambitions were all more familiar with rankings. However, in an actual test of knowledge, I discovered that elite university students actually did worse in regards to global ranking knowledge, while the associations to affluence and study abroad ambition disappeared. The findings in this research have centered rankings in a comparative perspective of higher education in China and the lessons learned can be adapted to future studies in other societies or sectors

Understanding the Academic Success of Black Caribbean Immigrant Students Who Have Earned a Graduate Degree at an Ivy League University

Caribbean-American students who pursue higher education at Ivy League institutions most often maintain a strong ethnic identification with the race and culture of their birth. As described by Waters (2001a) and Vickerman (2001), the ethnic pride and solidarity of these first and second-generation Caribbean immigrants have made a positive impact on their self-image, thus enabling many to become upwardly mobile as they confront prejudice and resist societal misperceptions of their culture (Waters, 2001; Vickerman, 2001). Therefore, even after they have spent many years absorbing American culture while “sitting comfortably at the black and white table,” Caribbean-Americans do not see themselves as exemplars of European culture (Waters, 2001; Vickerman, 2001). Waters (1996; 1999), believes that West Indians prefer to create a positive association with race and that double marginalization rarely exists in the self-perception of Black Caribbean immigrant students. However, studies reveal that a growing number of researchers are examining issues to determine what students are doing “right,” compared to what they are doing “wrong” (Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Treviño, 1997; Fries-Britt, 2002; Shushok and Hulme, 2006; Griffin, 2006). With the understanding that first and second-generation Black Caribbean immigrants view race and the issues of blackness differently than Black Americans, the research questions are implicitly informed and formulated accordingly. Therefore, this study examined the perception of Black Caribbean immigrant graduates from Ivy League institutions as they explained the phenomena of how their successes are often influenced by social, cultural and economic factors to overcome barriers to graduate degree from the Ivy League Universities. The study sought to analyze the perception of these graduates, particularly the willingness of black immigrant graduates to step away from a deficit model because of one or more of the following factors to gain visibility in their efforts. These included: (1) the increasing enrollment of Black Caribbean immigrant students in Ivy League universities; (2) The strategies Black Caribbean immigrant students used to advance their standards of excellence; (3) The Black Caribbean immigrant students’ perception of the Ivy Leagues and how this perception influenced their academic and professional lives; and (4) The growing need for diversity in higher education in order to influence positive psychological discourse in education. Qualitative data were collected from Black Caribbean immigrants who graduated from Ivy League University in the USA. Fifteen (15) semi-structured, personal interviews were conducted. The results enhanced, supported and added to the limited research on Black Caribbean immigrant students’ journey through the Ivy Leagues and their lived experiences. The findings provided insight on how early socialization, intrinsic motivation, cultural awareness, teachers input, academic preparedness, parents support, extended family support, the grit mind-set and community reinforcement shaped and informed these students’ ability to navigate the Ivy Leagues to graduate. Subsequently, the analysis revealed that these characteristics mentioned above all worked together to provide the understanding of the academic success of Caribbean immigrant students. The participants recommended that more Black Caribbean immigrant students should be given the opportunities, as well as the resources and support to navigate these selective universities. Additionally, one recommendation was that a feeder institution could provide efficient use of human resources and could help enhance talents. This could be accomplished by harnessing growth and shaping the direction and effectiveness of what motivates and sustains Caribbean immigrant students to greater nation building

Predicting Teacher Attitudes Toward Education Reform Initiatives

As alternative teacher certification programs, accountability measures urged by federal mandates, and unconventional school structures such as the charter school movement have gained traction, a loud debate over how to ‘fix’ America’s schools has ensued amongst teachers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers. This thesis examines teacher attitudes regarding a number of education reform initiatives including tenure, accountability for student achievement, and school choice using Brookings’ 2003 Survey of Educators, a sample of 3,264 public school teachers. My empirical analysis extends the findings of Moe’s Special Interest by looking at the quality of undergraduate teacher training as a predictor of these attitudes. Then, political theory is used to make sense of why teachers unions have chosen to take education policy stances that substantial portions of their membership disagree wit

College and University Ranking Systems: Global Perspectives and American Challenges

Examines how higher education ranking systems function, how other countries use ranking systems, and the impact of college rankings in the United States on student access, choice, and opportunity