College Access: Measuring What Matters Donald E. Heller Dean, College of Education Michigan College Access Network Conference East Lansing, MI April 30, 2012

2 © 2012, Donald E. Heller Daniel Hand High School Madison, Connecticut

College enrollment over time 3 © 2012, Donald E. Heller Postsecondary enrollments rates of high school grads (w/in 12 months) College Board, Education Pays 2010 >$88,230 $88,230 $55,050 $35,000 $19,000 Income limits of each quintile in 2008 shown

4 Stratification in higher education Distribution of each income quartile by sector and attendance Dependent students enrolled in © 2012, Donald E. Heller Author’s calculations from NPSAS: 2008

Influences on college access and success © 2012, Donald E. Heller 5 Academic Curriculum Coursework rigor Standardized tests Test prep and shadow education Academic support Enrollment intensity Financial Student’s resources Family income Family assets Access to capital Tuition price Financial aid Sociocultural College knowledge Information about financial aid Peer & family experiences Motivation & aspiration Loan aversion

Influences on college access and success © 2012, Donald E. Heller 6 Academic Curriculum Coursework rigor Standardized tests Test prep and shadow education Academic support Enrollment intensity Financial Student’s resources Family income Family assets Access to capital Tuition price Financial aid Sociocultural College knowledge Information about financial aid Peer & family experiences Motivation & aspiration Loan aversion

7 The interplay of financial and academic barriers Highest Lowest HighestLowest Socioeconomic Status Quartile (composite of parental education, income, and occupation) Achievement Quartile ( 8 th grade reading & math) © 2012, Donald E. Heller 77%43% 27%7% Author’s calculations from NELS:88, ACSFA Empty Promises 1992 high school graduates earning a bachelor’s degree by %78% 77%36% 1992 high school graduates attending college by 1994 Financial & social factors Academic factors

8 The educational pipeline th graders by family income and college qualifications Author’s calculations from NELS:88 © 2012, Donald E. Heller Data for survey respondents in each year 17 points 35 points 40 points 6 points

Tertiary attainment rates © 2012, Donald E. Heller 9 Population that has attained at least tertiary education by age cohort (2009) Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2011, Chart A1.1

Tertiary attainment rates © 2012, Donald E. Heller 10 Population that has attained at least tertiary education by age cohort (2009) Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2011, Chart A1.1

Reaching the Lumina/MCAN goal 11 © 2012, Donald E. Heller Proportion of population 25 and older with a postsecondary credential Author’s calculations from Current Population Survey Lumina/MCAN goal Actual Projected

12 “It is the responsibility of the community, at the local, State, and National levels, to guarantee that financial barriers do not prevent any able and otherwise qualified young person from receiving the opportunity for higher education. There must be developed in this country the widespread realization that money expended for education is the wisest and soundest of investments in the national interest. The democratic community cannot tolerate a society based upon education for the well-to-do alone. If college opportunities are restricted to those in the higher income brackets, the way is open to the creation and perpetuation of a class society which has no place in the American way of life.” A.Lyndon Johnson, signing the Higher Education Act of 1965 B.Senator Claiborne Pell, upon the renaming of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program in his honor, 1980 C.President Truman’s Commission on Higher Education, 1947 D.Thomas Jefferson, upon the founding of the U. of Virginia, 1819 © 2012, Donald E. Heller

13 “It is the responsibility of the community, at the local, State, and National levels, to guarantee that financial barriers do not prevent any able and otherwise qualified young person from receiving the opportunity for higher education. There must be developed in this country the widespread realization that money expended for education is the wisest and soundest of investments in the national interest. The democratic community cannot tolerate a society based upon education for the well-to-do alone. If college opportunities are restricted to those in the higher income brackets, the way is open to the creation and perpetuation of a class society which has no place in the American way of life.” A.Lyndon Johnson, signing the Higher Education Act of 1965 B.Senator Claiborne Pell, upon the renaming of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program in his honor, 1980 C.President Truman’s Commission on Higher Education, 1947 D.Thomas Jefferson, upon the founding of the U. of Virginia, 1819 © 2012, Donald E. Heller

Overcoming barriers for low-income students Address K-12 preparation Address K-12 preparation Improve underperforming – and under-resourced – schools Improve underperforming – and under-resourced – schools Make college (or labor market) readiness the default for all students Make college (or labor market) readiness the default for all students Address family support and encouragement Address family support and encouragement Strong college and financial counseling Strong college and financial counseling Remove financial barriers Remove financial barriers Need-based financial aid and better information about it Need-based financial aid and better information about it Align state and institutional tuition, financial aid, and funding policies Align state and institutional tuition, financial aid, and funding policies Support services for first generation, at-risk students Support services for first generation, at-risk students Pre-college Pre-college In-college In-college Improve college throughput Improve college throughput 14 © 2012, Donald E. Heller

15 educ.msu.edu/dean © 2012, Donald E. Heller