Stuber Chapter 12 Flashcards
Statistically speaking, what kinds of gaps or inequalities exist in higher education enrollment, selectivity, and completion?
- class (85% of wealthy to 65% of middle and lower) - wealthy students are 7-8 times more likely to attend selective university
- race (Asian - 78%, white, 70%, Black and Hispanic - 62% and 63%
- slightly more females than males
Looking at the consequences of college attendance, what kinds of economic benefits come from completing a college degree, or attending a highly selective college or university?
- college degree - earns ~1 million dollars more than high school degree
- selective schools promote social mobility for high-ability students from less-advantaged backgrounds, but for others it may not make much of a difference
One important micro-level factor that contributes to educational inequalities is the player’s ability to pay. How as the cost of college changed over time, and what changes have also occurred in student financial aid? How do these changes contribute to class inequalities in college completion?
- cost changed over time - cost of four year degree has nearly tripled - cost of higher education has increased more dramatically than increases in income
- Pell Grant (largest, most visible federal grant program) has decreased from paying 79% of a student’s cost to about 29%
- changes contribute to class inequalities - loans are predatory (higher interest rates, fees, and penalties) and act as a barrier
- more financial aid dollars are being devoted to merit aid - thus increasing the fortunes of upper-income students, because less aid then goes to lower-income students
- seeking out academically talented out-of-state students = modest in-state students are rejected (who are then taxed to pay for the university, but not allowed in)
- white students are more likely to receive private scholarships
Another micro-level factor that contributes to educational inequality is test performance. What social class and racial biases sometimes influence how students perform on standardized tests? What kinds of changes may minimize these social class and racial gaps?
- bias in standardized test reading portion that may be familiar to upper-class students
- students from high-income families have more opportunity to practice (taking exam multiple times and test-prep programs)
- racial bias - stereotype threat
How do cultural factors and knowledge and attitudes toward higher education also result in educational inequalities?
- cultural capital of some students (white, affluent) is more appreciated and noticed by teachers
- affluent students may know what high school courses are necessary for college admissions, how to sign up for a standardized test, admission deadlines, etc.
- attitude-achievement paradox
- lower-income and minority students prefer to attend college close to home due to a culture of familism
On the macro level, larger structural factors like policies and procedures set the foundation for educational inequalities. How are public schools funded? How and why do the accompanying differences in resources matter?
- only a small percentage of a school’s budget comes from federal sources; the rest comes from taxes collected at the state and local level - nearly half of a school’s budget comes from local property taxes collected at the district level
- funding differences = resource differences = lower property value areas are less likely to have working science labs, modern computer equipment, current textbooks, or spaces devoted to art, music, or athletics - differences also create different desires to learn
- schools that serve lower-income students have more teachers teaching “out of the field,” while affluent areas can offer high teacher salaries that attract better teachers
- smaller classrooms = better learning (less distractions)
- minority students do better when they have access to high-quality resources, as they make up for what students are missing at home
IN terms of how the game is structured, the school year typically runs from August until June. How does this macro-level facet impact race and class inequalities in school performance?
- advantaged students are exposed to language-rich home environments, summer camps, and other forms of cultural enrichment - low income and minority students do not have these opportunities
- some doubt cast on these findings, because everyone’s learning slows during the summer
Efforts exist to close some of the gaps in public education. What are some of these efforts, and what results have they shown?
- Charter schools - gives students more options and forces public schools to compete
- Charter schools - supported by those who think the public schools are overburdened by regulations and lack innovation
- School vouchers - allow students + families to opt into another school, force failing schools to become more effective or risk losing students and funding (variations in how charter schools perform - overall students who use vouchers are no more likely to enroll in college that similar students, but they seem to have positive outcomes for Black and Latino students)
- Affirmative action (for colleges and universities)
affirmative action
refers to a set of policies designed to bring greater diversity to some educational settings and workplaces
attitude-achievement paradox
there is a difference between having abstract educational values and being able to convert those attitudes into concrete behaviors - this explains why lower-income and minority students have educational aspirations that don’t always translate into concrete achievements
attrition
technical term for “dropping out”
charter schools
a public school that is allowed to operate with more flexibility that the typical public school (in terms of what is taught, how success is measured, who is hired, and how to fire ineffective teachers)
early decision
students typically apply during November of their senior year and generally agree to enroll automatically if accepted - in other words, applicants are expected to apply without having information about their financial aid package
educational attainment
measured as the number of years or the highest degree a person has achieved
legacy admissions
gives special boost to university applicants who have a family member who has previously graduated from that college or university (usually a parent or sibling) - receive a 23% point bump in likelihood of being admitted (translated to being five times more likely to be admitted)
