Exploring an Alternative to Race Data in Recruiting Racially and Ethnically Diverse Student Bodies

• In Event: Equity in Data-Driven Decision Making

Abstract

The positive relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and educational achievement/attainment is generally theorized to be underpinned by access to resources. However, it is not always the case that students from under-resourced communities perform worse than their better resourced counterparts in educational settings. In a post-SFFA context, it is more important than ever for higher education institutions to rely on indicators to recruit student bodies that will be academically successful and diverse. The current study explored the relationship between an area-based socioeconomic indicator (i.e., high school zip code) and achievement (undergraduate GPA and LSAT outcomes). We explore whether area-based indicators, with additional context, reliably predict achievement and if they are an appropriate proxy for recruiting racially and ethnically diverse student bodies.

Author

• Baylee Jenkins, Accesslex Institute