Shaping Student Success in Higher Education: Family Engagement, Instructor Quality, Financial Aid, and Institutional Constraints

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

How can postsecondary education policy promote greater economic mobility and equity in the face of persistent structural inequality? This panel brings together four studies that use rigorous empirical methods to evaluate the effectiveness of education policies and institutional practices designed to improve college access, persistence, and long-term outcomes for historically underserved populations. Taken together, these papers offer transformative and resilient policy solutions grounded in collaborative, data-driven approaches to system improvement.The first paper evaluates Hope Chicago, a two-generation college pipeline program offering comprehensive financial, advising, and academic support to high school students and their parents in underinvested Chicago communities. By leveraging administrative data and a difference-in-differences design, the study demonstrates how multi-stakeholder partnerships—between nonprofits, public schools, and postsecondary institutions—can expand college access and success for first-generation students and families.The second paper assesses the Star Scholarship, a free community college program for academically qualified students in Chicago. Employing a regression discontinuity design, the study finds that while the program shifts some students from four-year to two-year institutions, it increases overall degree attainment without lowering bachelor’s degree completion. The findings reveal both the promise and complexity of financial aid design in shaping equitable college pathways—particularly for immigrant and first-generation students—and point to the importance of tailoring aid policies to local needs and student populations.The third paper takes a long-run, systemic view of educational equity by documenting a century of change in the economic returns to college for low-income students. The analysis shows that the equitable wage premium associated with college has steadily eroded due to shifts in institutional quality, sector representation, and major selection. These findings underscore the importance of understanding how macro-level changes in the structure of postsecondary education mediate intergenerational inequality.The final paper proposes a scalable method for estimating postsecondary instructor value-added, addressing a critical gap in how institutions evaluate teaching effectiveness. Using data from Indiana and Texas, the study shows that instructors have a substantial causal impact on student achievement and labor market outcomes—effects that are not captured by conventional student evaluations. The results offer a path forward for institutions to align personnel decisions with long-term student success, especially for students at public universities.Together, these papers underscore the importance of multi-level partnerships—between schools, colleges, communities, and researchers—in developing policy solutions that are both transformative and resilient. They highlight how collaborative, evidence-based strategies can target persistent disparities and help shape a more equitable and effective higher education system.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Scott Carrell, University of Texas at Austin

Discussants

• MIchael Stephens Kofoed, University of Tennessee (Knoxville)

• Jiee Zhong, Miami University

Organizer

• Anthony Yim, Brigham Young University

Individual Presentations

• Impact of Free Community College: Evidence From Chicago - Presenting Author: Emileigh Harrison, The University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Kelly Hallberg, University of Chicago

• Instructor Value-Added in Postsecondary Education - Presenting Author: Anthony Yim, Brigham Young University

• Changes in the College Mobility Pipeline Since 1900 - Presenting Author: Zachary Bleemer, Princeton University

• Effects of a Two-Generation College Pipeline Program on Postsecondary Aspirations, Enrollment, and Completion - Presenting Author: Lesley J. Turner, University of Chicago