Effectively Reduced Inequalities? Trends in College Enrollment By Family Income

• In Event: 3429 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 11. Higher Education and Mobility

Abstract

Since 2014, reports relying on the Current Population Survey (CPS) show that low-income high school graduates' chances of enrolling in college have surged such that they have closed the gap between them and middle-income graduates. This paper investigates this trend. Although we acknowledge that the CPS's measure of family income is far from perfect, we fail to find convincing evidence that the recent increase in low-income graduates' chances of enrolling in college is a methodological artifact. The trend is not explained by shifts in the levels or effects of other demographic variables. Contrary to the Effectively Maintained Inequality (EMI) thesis, the reduction in inequality mainly occurs in enrollment in four-year colleges, not two-year institutions.

Authors

• Joshua Klugman, Temple University

• Jennifer C. Lee, Indiana University