Socio-economic status has a strong correlation with whether or not a high school graduate enrolls in college within 18 months of graduating. Almost 90% of students whose family income places them in the top quintile of earnings decide to enroll in either a two or four-year college, while just over 50% of high school graduates coming from the lowest quintile of earnings go on to enroll in postsecondary education.
But new research shows that if high school graduates from any socio-economic quintile receive the same amount of college preparation, as defined by high school GPA, math and English grades, number of IB or AP courses taken, and standardized math test scores, the college enrollment gap between the top quintile and bottom quintile shrinks from almost 40 percentage points to just 20.
Dr. Sade Bonilla, an assistant professor of policy, organizations, leadership and systems division at the University of Pennsylvania.
This study, conducted by the Center on Children and Families, part of the nonprofit policy research organization Brookings Institute that researches how U.S. policies impact the lives of families living in poverty or facing inequality, shows that gender and race gaps in college enrollment are directly connected with academic preparation in high school.
“These findings are consistent with research on earlier cohorts, [which] suggests that closing gaps in academic preparation is key to making progress on college enrollment gaps,” said report co-author Sarah Reber, the Joseph A. Pechman senior fellow in economic studies at Brookings.
Education experts spoke about the study, its findings, and what higher education can do to reduce college enrollment gaps created by socio-economic status at a webinar on Monday. They encouraged postsecondary institutions to increase supports for low-income students, and to build more opportunities for students to access and succeed in college-level courses earlier through methods like early college high schools or dual-credit opportunities.
Overall, they agreed that, although the academic preparation journey begins long before a student comes to campus, higher education must play a key role in addressing gaps in access.
“My fear about this work is that it could be interpreted by institutions of higher education as saying, 'Well, we’re doing what we can, it’s not our problem,'" said Dr. Richard Reeves, a senior fellow in economic studies at Brookings and author of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It. Colleges might, Reeves said, assume that a student’s lack of college readiness was the high school’s fault.
“Everyone can point earlier and earlier—high schools can point to middle schools, middle schools to elementary schools—and it’s not to say it isn’t true, but it’s in no way an abdication of responsibility,” said Reeves. “It’s a college’s job to be student ready, as it is for students to be college ready.”
Dr. Sade Bonilla, an assistant professor of policy, organizations, leadership and systems division at the University of Pennsylvania, said that postsecondary institutions traditionally spend the most money on students who already have the most advantages.
Dr. Lindsay Page, the Annenberg associate professor of education policy at Brown University.
Reeves agreed and added that the “over-application of meritocratic principles [in higher education] flies in the face of other values like social mobility or social welfare.”
Dr. Lindsay Page, the Annenberg associate professor of education policy at Brown University, said that although elite institutions garner the most resources, it is the regional public schools that tend to be more effective at pushing students into higher economic quintiles after graduation. She added that community colleges, especially those that partner with local high schools to create dual enrollment or early college high schools, are moving the needle on college access.
“Early college high schools also come often with better counseling and guidance around pathways students take into and through the community college experience,” said Page. “These kinds of programs lead to dramatic improvement in associate degree attainment, and some continue on to a bachelor’s degree.”
For Reber, the study presents an opportunity for everyone in education, particularly postsecondary education, to question the relationship between academic preparation, socio-economic status, and college enrollment.
“The relationship between a high school GPA and college enrollment is very strong, but we shouldn’t think of it as set in stone and make policies that way,” said Reber. “Students who have had good access to education might not benefit as much from all these resources in college as a student who doesn’t have those opportunities already.”
Liann Herder can be reached at [email protected].
