State-Level Postsecondary Policy as Arbiter of Access: A Longitudinal Analysis of Advancing and Blocking Equity

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: The Role of the State Policy in Shaping Equity, Access, and Resources

Abstract

This longitudinal meta-analysis examines how state governments, rather than federal policies, have primarily shaped higher education access and equity throughout the "long 20th century." By analyzing 280+ sources and applying policy theory and historical frameworks, it reveals states' pivotal roles in determining institutional structures, funding, and admission policies. The research uncovers persistent inequalities despite expanded access, highlighting how policies like performance-based funding and developmental education reforms often reinforce stratification. It also critiques intermediary organizations’ influence and calls for bridging historical and policy scholarship. The findings emphasize the urgent need to understand state-driven innovation and obstruction amid political polarization, advocating sustained political commitment to structural equity beyond access-oriented reforms in U.S. higher education.

Authors

• Ethan W. Ris, University of Nevada - Reno

• Erika A. Bullock, Stanford University