The Impact of College Admissions Policies on the Performance of High School Students

The Impact of College Admissions Policies on the Performance of High School Students
Author: Nicolas Grau
Publisher:
Total Pages: 63
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

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This paper empirically evaluates the effects of college admissions policies on high school student performance. To this end, I build a model where high school students decide their level of effort and whether to take the college admissions test, taking into consideration how those decisions may affect their future university admission chances. Using Chilean data for the 2009 college admissions process, I structurally estimate the parameters of the model in order to study the implications of two types of counterfactual experiments: (a) a SES-Quota system, which imposes the population's SES distribution for each university; (b) increasing the high school GPA weight. The results from these exercises support the claim that increasing the level of equal college opportunities may boost the amount of effort exerted by high school students. Specifically, I find that: (1) average effort significantly increases as opportunities are equalized across different socioeconomic groups. (2) There is a moderate improvement in high school student performance, which is relatively important for certain groups. (3) The highest reactions in terms of exerted effort come from those students who also change their decision about taking the college admissions test. (4) Neither of these policies increases the percentage of students taking the national test for college admission, which is consistent with the fact that in this policy implementation there are winners and losers. However, there are relevant variations in who is taking such a test; in particular, this percentage increases for low-income students and those who have higher level of learning skills. (5) Because the SES-Quota system uses the existing information more efficiently, it implies a more efficient student allocation to equalize opportunities.

Selective Admission and the Public Interest

Selective Admission and the Public Interest
Author: Michael S. McPherson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 88
Release: 1990
Genre: Education
ISBN:

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This study describes the American system of higher education's distributive mechanism in the practice of selective admission and considers possible changes in that system. Chapter One presents the work's overall approach, a three level analysis of the current system from the viewpoints of the individual student and the individual college as well as a conspectus of the system as a whole. Chapter Two describes some main features of the outcome of the existing admissions system in terms of the distribution of students across institutions. Chapters Three and Four analyze the consequences of higher education by enumerating and evaluating the various outputs of higher education in terms of what is "fair" and what is "efficient." Here, alternative descriptions of how the educational system actually operates are provided. Chapter Five follows up the earlier work on defining and measuring equity and efficiency by turning to trade-offs between the two. Chapter Six returns to the central issue: the person or institution's pursuit of individual goals may result in a collective situation in which achievement of those goals is frustrated. Chapter Seven looks at what all of this means for policy decision making and concludes that, although radical change in existing practices are neither feasible nor desirable, improvements in both equity and efficiency are possible if relatively small changes (such as institutional cooperation to limit competition-driven expenditures) are implemented. (56 references) (JB)

Choosing Students

Choosing Students
Author: Wayne Camara
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2005-03-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135619107

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This volume brings a variety of perspectives to bear on the issue of how higher education institutions can - or should - choose students during the early part of the 21st century. Many of the contributors report on research to develop and validate potential tools to assist those responsible for admission decisions. Other contributors, however, pose broader questions about the nature of selective admissions, about institutional responses to the changing demography of those seeking to enter higher education, or about the appropriate criteria of 'success' in higher education. The volume is particularly timely because the question of how changes in admission tools and processes will affect campus diversity following the recent Supreme Court decision concerning the University of Michigan. Diversity is an important concern of all of the contributors and the chapter by Lee Bollinger--President at Michigan at the time the court cases were filed--is particularly relevant. This book brings together the research that underlies a variety of proposed approaches to improving the selection of students. Providing support for the integrity of the admissions process and the validity of new tools to help a higher education institution to select a diverse student body, this book explores the implications of the assessment component of K-12 school reform for higher education admissions practices. The diverse contributions to this volume reflect the current ferment in educational research and educational practice as institutions of higher education seek to develop a new admissions paradigm for coming decades following the University of Michigan decisions. This book is intended for those leaders and professionals who set admission policies and practices in American colleges, and graduate and professional schools, as well as for those scholars and scientists who research, develop, and validate tools for use in the process of choosing students in ways that are congruent with an institution's mission, values, and goals.

The Conditions for Admission

The Conditions for Admission
Author: John Aubrey Douglass
Publisher:
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2007
Genre: Education
ISBN:

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The first comprehensive study of the admission policies and practices at U.S. public universities, examining their "social contract" in light of contemporary debates over affirmative action, standardized testing, privatization, and the influences of globalization.

In the Nation's Compelling Interest

In the Nation's Compelling Interest
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 429
Release: 2004-06-29
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309166616

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The United States is rapidly transforming into one of the most racially and ethnically diverse nations in the world. Groups commonly referred to as minorities-including Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaska Natives-are the fastest growing segments of the population and emerging as the nation's majority. Despite the rapid growth of racial and ethnic minority groups, their representation among the nation's health professionals has grown only modestly in the past 25 years. This alarming disparity has prompted the recent creation of initiatives to increase diversity in health professions. In the Nation's Compelling Interest considers the benefits of greater racial and ethnic diversity, and identifies institutional and policy-level mechanisms to garner broad support among health professions leaders, community members, and other key stakeholders to implement these strategies. Assessing the potential benefits of greater racial and ethnic diversity among health professionals will improve the access to and quality of healthcare for all Americans.

Myths and Tradeoffs

Myths and Tradeoffs
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 58
Release: 1999-07-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0309184320

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More than 8 million students enrolled in 4-year, degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States in 1996. The multifaceted system through which these students applied to and were selected by the approximately 2,240 institutions in which they enrolled is complex, to say the least; for students, parents, and advisers, it is often stressful and sometimes bewildering. This process raises important questions about the social goals that underlie the sorting of students, and it has been the subject of considerable controversy. The role of standardized tests in this sorting process has been one of the principal flashpoints in discussions of its fairness. Tests have been cited as the chief evidence of unfairness in lawsuits over admissions decisions, criticized as biased against minorities and women, and blamed for the fierce competitiveness of the process. Yet tests have also been praised for their value in providing a common yardstick for comparing students from diverse schools with different grading standards. Myths and Tradeoffs identifies and corrects some persistent myths about standardized admissions tests and highlight some of the specific tradeoffs that decisions about the uses of tests entail; presents conclusions and recommendations about the role of tests in college admissions; and lays out several issues about which information would clearly help decision makers, but about which the existing data are either insufficient or need synthesis and interpretation. This report will benefit a broad audience of college and university officials, state and other officials and lawmakers, and others who are wrestling with decisions about admissions policies, definitions of merit, legal actions, and other issues.

Who Gets In?

Who Gets In?
Author: Rebecca Zwick
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2017-05-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0674977661

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When it comes to the hotly disputed topic of college admissions, the one thing everyone agrees about is that it’s unfair. But there is little agreement on what a fair process would be. Rebecca Zwick takes a hard look at the high-stakes competition of U.S. college admissions today. Illustrating her points using analyses of survey data from applicants to the nation’s top colleges and universities, she assesses the goals of different admissions systems and the fairness of criteria—from high school grades and standardized test scores to race, socioeconomic status, and students’ academic aspirations. The demographic makeup of the class and the educational outcomes of its students can vary substantially, depending upon how an institution approaches its task. Who Gets In? considers the merits and flaws of competing approaches and demonstrates that admissions policies can sometimes fail to produce the desired results. For example, some nontraditional selection methods can hurt more than help the students they are intended to benefit. As Zwick shows, there is no objective way to evaluate admissions systems—no universal definition of student merit or blanket entitlement to attend college. Some schools may hope to attract well-rounded students, while others will focus on specific academic strengths. What matters most is that a school’s admissions policy reflects its particular educational philosophy. Colleges should be free to include socioeconomic and racial preferences among their admissions criteria, Zwick contends, but they should strive for transparency about the factors they use to evaluate applicants.

Leveling the Playing Field

Leveling the Playing Field
Author: Robert K. Fullinwider
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2004-03-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1461638828

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Leveling the Playing Field examines the admissions policies of contemporary American colleges and universities in light of the assumption that enhancing the educational opportunities of lower-income and minority students would make American society more just. It asks how current admissions policies affect the prospects of such students, and it evaluates alternative approaches. The book treats a variety of topics relevant to answering these questions. What does it mean to reward people according to merit? Is the American system of higher education a meritocracy, and should it be? How do the missions of contemporary institutions of higher education bear on admissions? What are the implications of the Supreme Court's landmark affirmative action decisions of 2003? What is the proper role and significance of standardized tests like the SAT? How does 'lower' education prepare students, or fail to, for higher education? In answering these questions, the book examines legacy preference, early admissions policies, financial aid, the test-prep industry, college counseling, and athletics, evaluating their effects on the distribution of higher education in the United States, not only for lower-income and minority students but for college-bound students in general.

Rethinking College Admissions

Rethinking College Admissions
Author: OiYan A. Poon
Publisher: Harvard Education Press
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2022-08-16
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1682537781

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Rethinking College Admissions probes the many facets of higher education admissions and translates research-backed insights into actionable strategies for innovative, equitable admissions practices. Edited by scholars OiYan A. Poon and Michael N. Bastedo, this collection gives readers an evidence-based understanding of postsecondary admissions practices and structures, exploring many factors that affect college access and educational equity in the United States. These collected essays from leading experts present boundary-pushing applied research on admissions, with implications for policy, practice, and leadership. The volume considers admissions issues from three angles. In the opening essays, contributors offer critical analyses of current admissions approaches in higher education, delineating the delicate balance of equity-building efforts and legal pressures. The contributors offer reflections on whether and how admissions systems further inclusion or inequality. They examine topics such as race-conscious admissions, holistic review without standardized test scores, and student test preparation. The volume’s next part discusses the many different ways in which admissions work can be done, outlines ethical hazards, and considers potential areas for organizational change. The final essays provide inroads and examples for developing reciprocal relationships in research and practice for the future. They discuss promising approaches for advancing campus diversity, such as admissions lotteries, direct enrollment, and institutional promise programs for high-achieving students from low-income communities. A must-read for practitioners, policy makers, and anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of postsecondary admissions structures, including K–12 educators and counselors, advocacy groups, and students, this work supports data-informed approaches to higher education admissions.

The Shape of the River

The Shape of the River
Author: William G. Bowen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 472
Release: 1998
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780691050195

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A groundbreaking study of the nature, effectiveness, and long-term consequences of race-sensitive admission policies in colleges and universities analyzes students' personal histories before and after college, offering findings greatly affecting the national debate on this issue. Tour. UP.