Well-Placed: The Geography of Opportunity and High School Effects on College Attendance

Abstract

Recent work has broadened the scope of school effectiveness research to consider not only academic achievement but also other outcomes, especially college attendance. This literature has argued that high schools are an important determinant of college attendance, with some contending that high schools matter more for college attendance than for academic achievement. A separate branch of research has illustrated how place-based opportunities facilitate college attendance. We merge these two literatures by asking if schools' geographic context can explain apparent variation in effectiveness among Wisconsin high schools. We find that geographic context explains nearly a third of the variance in traditional estimates of school effectiveness on college attendance, because factors like proximity to colleges are strongly associated with college attendance. Accounting for geography is therefore important in order not to overstate high schools' role in higher education outcomes. In contrast, geographic context explains little of the variance in academic achievement growth. Thus, if high schools seem to matter more for college attendance than for academic achievement under traditional estimates, schools' apparent importance for the two outcomes converge upon adjusting for differences in geographic context. Results are based on multilevel models applied to rich administrative data on every Wisconsin public high school entrant between 2006 and 2011.

Shifting Sands: An Analysis of College Access Deserts from 2001 to 2019

“…Commuting zones with higher than average percentages of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher were less likely to be classified as a college access desert, aligning with prior research that most students enroll in colleges near their high schools or community (Hillman & Weichman, 2016;Hirschl & Smith, 2020;Turley, 2009) and colleges employ large numbers of people with degreesa key component of the 'college town' archetype (Gumprecht, 2008). Of note is that commuting zones with higher than average unemployment rates had lower odds of being classified as a college access desert than commuting zone with average unemployment rates (0.63 times odds using sector classifications and 0.68 times odds using Carnegie Classifications).…”

Trends in Medical School Application and Matriculation Rates Across the United States From 2001 to 2015: Implications for Health Disparities

“…[44][45][46] These channels also allow students to get information about scholarships, loan repayment programs, or other training fellowships that may lower the cost of attending medical school. 44,47 Second, college and high school students who study science or related subjects and live close to a medical school may learn from local physicians who can be role models for their careers. 48,49 Another interesting finding concerns the growing gap in medical school applicants and matriculants from low-income and high-income counties from 2001 to 2015.…”

Creating a R.A.F.T to engage teenage parents back into education: A case study

“…In the macrosystem, the students' culture, geographic location and socio-economic status often play a significant role in determining their level of engagement and subsequently the degree of success. These factors are proffered as possible marks of influence; several studies have demonstrated that elements such as geographic location and socioeconomic status, may have some impact on educational success (Cooper et al, 2017;Hirschl and Smith, 2019).…”