College Preparation in the Middle Grades: It\u27s More Than SATs

Despite more than 30 years of effort by the federal government to increase college enrollment rates for African Americans, Hispanics, and low-income students, these groups continue to be underrepresented in higher education. Although family income and financial resources continue to influence college enrollment decisions, educators now suggest that the traditional focus on reducing financial barriers for the underrepresented groups has been too narrow

Differences in the Decision to Attend College Among African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites

Over the past decade, the number of African American and Hispanic undergraduates enrolled in colleges and universities nationwide has increased by 32% and 98%, respectively, whereas the number of White undergraduates has declined by 1% (Nettles & Perna, 1997). Over the same period, the number of bachelor\u27s degrees awarded increased by 43% for African Americans and 90% for Hispanics, com- pared with an 11% increase for Whites. Although more African Americans and Hispanics are attending college and receiving degrees than ever before (Nettles & Perna, 1997), African Americans and Hispanics continue to be underrepresented among both undergraduates (at 10.0% and 8.0%, respectively) and bachelor\u27s degree recipients (7.0% and 4.2%) relative to their representation in the traditional college-age population (14.3% and 13.7%). Although much is known about the factors that affect college attendance, only recently have researchers begun to explore variations in college enrollment behavior among students of different racial/ethnic groups (e.g., Freeman, 1997; Hurtado, Inkelas, Briggs, & Rhee, 1997; Jackson, 1990; McDonough, Antonio, & Trent, 1997; St. John & Noell, 1989). Freeman (1997) examined the barriers African American high- school students perceive to limit access to higher education for African Americans. McDonough, Antonio, and Trent (1997) explored differences in the variables related to the decision of African Americans to at- tend historically Black rather than predominantly White institutions. Hurtado and her colleagues (1997) examined differences among African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Whites in the number of applications submitted to postsecondary educational institutions and attendance at the first-choice institution. St. John and Noell (1989) and Jackson (1990) explored differences in the effects of financial aid on college enrollment among African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites. Such research is a necessary step in the process of identifying the most appropriate policies and practices for raising the representation of African Americans and Hispanics among college enrollments and degree recipients to that of their representation in the population. This study builds on prior research by comparing the college enrollment decisions of African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites using an econometric model of college enrollment that has been expanded to include measures of social and cultural capital as proxies for expectations, preferences, tastes, and uncertainty

The Contribution of Financial Aid to the Price of Four-Year Institution Attended by 1989/90 Freshmen

By examining the effects of financial aid upon students\u27 choice of what type of institution of higher education to attend, this study addressed the effectiveness of current student financial aid programs in achieving the goal of equal educational opportunity. The study evaluated a sample of 1,916 students in the first follow-up (1992) of the Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey of 1989-90 entering freshmen, a subsample of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. Students\u27 choice of institution to attend was measured by the institutional characteristic of price after controlling for the effects of other student and institutional characteristics. The study\u27s conclusions were: (1) that financial aid enabled students to attend higher-priced institutions, although various types and amounts of aid had different effects upon the price of institution attended; (2) that, unlike the results of prior research, loans were positively related to the price of the institution attended; (3) that financial aid was insufficient to enable students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and Hispanic students to attend the higher-priced four-year colleges and universities for which they were academically qualified; and (4) that the effects of financial aid upon institutional price varied by race group, since loans were less effective for black students than for students of other race groups

Promoting Workforce Readiness for Urban Growth

Between 2003 and 2009, the gap between the educational attainment of the population and the educational demands of available jobs (that is, structural unemployment ) increased in all but four of the nation\u27s hundred largest metropolitan areas (Rothwell and Berube 2011). Given that a larger education gap between the demand and supply of educated workers is associated with a higher unemployment rate in the metropolitan area (2011), these data demonstrate the need to imporve educational attainment in all metropolitan areas