Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP), School of Public and International Affairs

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2017 Study of Gaps in College Access and Success Programming in Montana
Kendrick, Terry; Cresswell, Kelly (Reach Higher Montana, 2017)
As part of its efforts to prepare for the future, Reach Higher Montana embarked to study the current state of college access and success in Montana. The result is this gap analysis report, which highlights areas of progress and areas of need if Montana wishes to provide higher education opportunities for all students. The data will help Reach Higher Montana’s governing body – the Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corporation (MHESAC) board – identify strategic priorities specifically for fiscal years 2019 through 2021. The data analyzed generally falls into five broad categories: Academic Preparation, Access, Affordability, Awareness, and Aspirations. While not mutually exclusive, these broad categories provide context for the areas which help students succeed in higher education.
2018 Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: Historical Trend Report
Cahalan, Margaret; Perna, Laura W.; Yamashita, Mika; Wright, Jeremy; Santillan, S. (The Pell Institute, 2018)
This report aims to point out the status of higher education equity in the United States and identify changes over time in measures of equity, identify policies and practices that promote and hinder progress, and illustrate the need for increased support of policies, programs, and practices that not only improve overall attainment in higher education but also create greater equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes.
2019 College Senior Survey
Fregoso, Julio; Lopez, Diana D. (Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, 2020-02-01)
The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) has administered the College Senior Survey since 1993; this year marked the 27th administration of the survey. This report highlights data from 17,363 seniors graduating from 63 four-year colleges and universities across the United States. Below are findings about their learning experiences, ways they incorporate wellness and balance into their lives, aspirations for graduate education, and highlights of students who transferred from the community college system. Out of all the graduating seniors who responded to the survey, 83.3% reported satisfaction with their overall college experience. Students believe they are leaving their institutions with a stronger knowledge base around global (83.7%), national (81.8%), and community issues (77.9%).
5 Things to Advance Equity in Access to Strong and Diverse Educators
The Education Trust (The Education Trust, 2019-12-09)
As parents and students know, having the right teacher matters. Research shows that teachers are the No. 1 in-school factor for student success. Students with the strongest teachers receive what amounts to months’ worth of additional learning each year. In addition, both research and the lived experiences of children show that teachers affect much more than academics. And yet, students of color and students from low-income families are less likely to have access to strong, consistent teaching than their White and higher-income peers. In this context, the authors suggest how state leaders should do to advance equity.
Accessibility to the PhD and Professoriate for FirstGeneration College Graduates: Review and Implications for Students, Faculty, and Campus Policies
Kniffin, Kevin M. (American Federation of Teachers, 2007)
There are several reasons why it is important to better understand the experiences of first-generation college students and graduates. First, there is evidence that suggests, at least, that opportunity or access to the PhD depends upon the formal education of one’s parents and is not equal. Second, if we agree that diverse student bodies are best served by diverse faculties, it is important for the benefit of students to better understand why equal opportunity to the PhD is lacking. And third, a better understanding of how a diverse faculty and academic staff promotes equality of educational opportunity has value for building popular support for postsecondary education and broader accessibility. In this article, the author reviews illustrative samplings of qualitative and quantitative research concerning the experiences of first-generation college students from the stage of undergraduate admissions through doctoral completion and achievement of tenure.
Accommodating ESL Students in the University
Kanel, Kristi L. (National Education Association, 2004-12-01)
University systems have been accommodating learning-disabled students for decades, while at the same time holding limited English proficiency students to the same standards as mainstream students. With the increasing prevalence of people in the United States whose dominant language is other than English, there will no doubt be an increase in university students who would be considered ESL (English as a Second Language) students. Much has been written about academic standards and accommodations as they relate to the learning-disabled population. This paper proposes that true cultural responsiveness must include certain accommodations for the ESL students. Building such an organizational culture at the university level would help ESL students to enter professions in which they would clearly be useful.
Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education
U.S. Department of Education (U.S. Department of Education, 2016-11-01)
The U.S. Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Integral to furthering that mission is supporting efforts to create diverse and welcoming campus communities for all students. Toward that end, the Obama Administration has encouraged institutions not only to attract and admit students from various backgrounds and experiences, but to support and retain these students once on campus. The Administration has also supported efforts by institutions of higher education to use legally permissible strategies to promote student body diversity on their campuses, including by issuing guidance and technical assistance to help institutions do so. Through all of these strategies, we can achieve the goal of preparing all of the nation’s students to be great citizens of the world and to compete in a global environment. While highlighting the Obama Administration’s efforts to promote diversity in institutions of higher education, this report shows the continuing educational inequities and opportunity gaps in accessing and completing a quality postsecondary education.
Advisor Value-Added and Student Outcomes: Evidence from Randomly Assigned College Advisors
Canaan, Serena; Deeb, Antoine; Mouganie, Pierre (Annenberg Institute at Brown University, 2019-11-01)
This paper provides the first causal evidence on the impact of college advisor quality on student outcomes. To do so, we exploit a unique setting where students are randomly assigned to faculty advisors during their first year of college. We find that higher advisor value-added (VA) substantially improves freshman year GPA, time to complete freshman year and four-year graduation rates. Additionally, higher advisor VA increases high-ability students’ likelihood of enrolling and graduating with a STEM degree. Our results indicate that allocating resources towards improving the quality of academic advising may play a key role in promoting college success.
Aiming for Equity: A Guide to Statewide Attainment Goals for Racial Equity Advocates
Jones, Tiffany; Berger, Katie (The Education Trust, 2019-01-01)
While the share of Black and Latino adults with a college degree has climbed a bit over the last decade, the increases haven’t been enough to narrow the racial degree attainment gap. The U.S. education system, from preschool through college, continues to serve students of color worse than their White peers. In such a diverse nation, this educational inequality is a threat to a healthy economy, which depends on well-trained workers, as well as to a healthy democracy, which depends on well-informed citizens. This report offers a primer on statewide college degree attainment goals and ideas for what to demand from policymakers to ensure students of color are prioritized as part of statewide higher education strategies.
APLU Priorities for the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA)
The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, 2018-02-23)
The federal government’s investment in student aid through Title IV of the Higher Education Act is indispensable for students accessing higher education. This is an investment to not only provide ladders of opportunity for individuals to fulfill the American Dream but also an investment our country makes to ensure a prosperous future for all. HEA reauthorization provides an opportunity to strengthen support for students to access higher education and build a better future. This report outlines policies presented to Congress for better transparency and accountability of colleges and universities to improving federal student aid to support access and degree completion. The proposals detailed are aimed at improving student success while enhancing our nation’s economic competitiveness.
Benchmarking 2015: Trends in Education Philanthropy
Grantmakers For Education (Grantmakers For Education, 2016-04-20)
The field of education philanthropy is critical in advancing toward a future where outcomes for all learners improve and with them, the strength of our nation. This report draws from a survey of Grantmakers for Education membership that provides a snapshot of giving patterns as well as grantmakers’ qualitative impressions of lessons and insights from their work. For the first time, Grant Makers have also sought out the perspectives of non-members who are active in the field, to help broaden their perspective as they seek to strengthen, deepen, and broaden philanthropy’s impact on public education.
By Chance or by Plan?: The Academic Success of Nontraditional Students in Higher Education
Wong, Billy (SAGE, 2018-06-05)
In the United Kingdom, a “good” undergraduate degree is understood to be a “first class” or an “upper second class,” which is achieved by three-quarters of students. The need to distinguish oneself from others is ever more important in an increasingly crowded graduate market, although a first-class degree is most likely achieved by privileged students. Informed by Bourdieu’s theory of habitus and capital, this study explores the educational experiences and trajectories of 30 final-year high-achieving nontraditional (HANT) students through in-depth interviews. These include working-class, minority ethnic, and/or mature students at university. We found that prior development in academic study skills and the desire to prove oneself, often in response to previous negative experiences, are key ingredients in academic success. Our HANT students also seem to find inspiration or support from significant others, an educational capital, although these resources are often by chance rather than by plan. Implications for policy and practice are suggested.
Can Information Widen Socioeconomic Gaps in Postsecondary Aspirations? How College Costs and Returns Affect Parents’ Preferences for their Children
Cheng, Albert; Henderson, Michael B.; Peterson, Paul E.; West, Martin E. (Annenberg Institute at Brown University, 2019-09-01)
To estimate whether information can close socioeconomic gaps in parents’ aspirations for their child’s postsecondary education, they administer a four-armed survey experiment to a nationally representative sample of U.S. parents. After respondents estimate costs of and returns to further education, they ask whether they prefer that their child pursue a four-year degree, a two-year degree, or no further education. Before this question is posed, the treated are first told (1) the net annual costs of pursuing a four-year and two-year degree in their state, (2) the annual returns to four-year and two-year degrees as compared to no further education in their local area, or (3) both costs and returns. They find that information lowers aspirations overall and widens socioeconomic aspiration gaps. These effects do not vary with the magnitude of error between estimated and actual costs and returns. However, they find positive impacts on aspirations among parents who think their child is academically prepared for college.
Celebrating TCU Successes
American Indian Higher Education Consortium; Association of Community College Trustees; Lumina Foundation (American Indian Higher Education Consortium, 2019)
Included in Celebrating Tribal College and Universities (TCU)' Successes are articles and personal stories demonstrating the progress. There are analyses from the detailed student cohort “data reviews” in addition to “progress checks” by the TCUs conducted at the GISS institutes for the past few years. Results of these processes provide both qualitative and quantitative information about TCU progress in promoting and affecting student success at their colleges.
Closing the College Attainment Gap between the U.S. and Most Educated Countries, and the Contributions to be made by the States
Kelly, Patrick J. (National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), 2010-04-01)
This report describes the rationale for determining the college attainment goal for the U.S., the calculations used to derive the number of additional college degrees the U.S. needs by 2020, an estimate of the additional degrees each state should produce in order to contribute to the nation’s goal, and several assumptions and limitations associated with the approach.
Closing the Evidence Gap
McCann, Clare (New America, 2019-05-01)
At a time when too few students are graduating from college and reaping the financial benefits that a higher education bestows, despite increasing numbers of those students taking on debt to enroll in college, it is absolutely essential that lawmakers engage in evidence-based policymaking. Members of Congress must support greater data transparency, research, and evaluation so that they can finally start to close the gap between what we know works and what does not to improve students’ chances of success, and so we know which students need help, in which ways. A concerted national effort to improve college is needed. It will require political will, a rethinking of the federal government’s higher education programs so they are centered on finding and expanding the strategies that work for students rather than treating evidence as an afterthought. This report seeks to explain the impetus for change, as well as identify solutions for policymakers in the Department of Education and on Capitol Hill.
Collaboratives: Helping Hispanic Students Succeed
Owlett Baltimore, Linda (National Education Association, 1995)
Minority cultures represent an invaluable human resource within American society. To reap the full benefit of cultural diversity, however, some crucial and pervasive problems within the educational system need to be solved. The lack of support systems that promote academic achievement of minority students and continued ethnic inequality in access to higher education have particularly adverse effects on Hispanic. This report points out the profile of Hispanic who access to the higher education system in the United States and provides some strategies to make Hispanic students succeed.
The College Completion Landscape: Trends, Challenges, and Why it Matters
Long, Bridget Terry (American Enterprise Institute, 2018-05-30)
College completion is perhaps the most commonly used metric to gauge student success. Although the overall percentage of students that finish college has improved in recent years, the gain has not been substantial. In this report, the author reviews some of the most recently available data and finds that there is substantial room for improvement at most of America’s colleges and universities.
College Now...or Later: Measuring the Effects of Dual Enrollment on Postsecondary Access and Success
Britton, Tolani; Chelliah, Birunda; Symns, Millie; Campbell, Vandeen (Annenberg Institute at Brown University, 2019-08-01)
Research suggests that earning college credits in high school increases the likelihood of postsecondary progress and graduation. In this study, the authors measure the impact of dual enrollment in high school and college courses through the College Now (CN) program on college enrollment for students in New York City. They use a regression discontinuity design (RDD) that estimates the causal local average effect of the treatment — eligibility for dual enrollment in college classes while in high school — on college enrollment. They find that being eligible for CN leads to a 7% point increase in the likelihood of college enrollment and an 8.6% point increase in the likelihood of enrollment in a four-year college. Students who were eligible for CN and enrolled in CN were 20% points more likely to enroll in college.
A College Unbound: Lessons on Innovation from a Student-Driven College's Journey Through Regional Accreditation
Soares, Louis; Choitz, Vickie (American Council on Education, 2019)
This case study report profiles College Unbound, an independent nonprofit institution that uses a flexible, student-driven academic model to serve low-income working adult students returning to earn their first degree.

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