The role of an equity policy in the reproduction of social inequalities: High School Ranking and university admissions in Chile

Abstract

The High School (HS) Ranking is an equity policy aimed at increasing the enrolment of students from underprivileged contexts in selective higher education institutions in Chile. However, HS Ranking is considered as an admission criterion for all applicants, regardless of their contextual characteristics. In this study, we delve into how students from different high school settings interpret and deploy actions to increase their HS Ranking score. Through a Structural Equation Model with validated survey data (9 schools, N = 1.831), our results show that the role of the schools’ context in the deployment of academic strategies to increase HS Ranking score is significant, even after controlling for academic individual motivation. In a scenario of a highly segregated secondary system these results are relevant for the discussion of the role of HS Ranking – an equity-oriented admission policy – in maintaining the higher education inequalities.

Quality management of higher education within the framework of the socio-investment model of economic growth: State audit and financial control

“…This raises a research question (RQ): How should monitoring, state audit, and financial control of university activities be carried out to manage the quality and effectiveness of higher education within the framework of the socio-investment model of economic growth? As an answer to this question, authors such as Bellantuono et al (2022), Catalán and Santelices (2022), and Naven and Whalen (2022) reproduce the widespread hypothesis that monitoring, state audit, and financial control in higher education allow conducting university ratings.…”