Graduation rates matter to politicians and college presidents. But how much do they matter to parents of prospective applicants?
Quite a bit, according to a report on a study released today by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Recently, two researchers at the institute designed a survey to determine how graduation rates shape consumers’ perceptions of colleges. In the experiment, one group of parents received basic facts (including costs and selectivity) about two public colleges in their state; the other group received the same information, as well as the graduation rates for each institution.
Providing graduation rates, the researchers found, increased the likelihood (by about 15 percentage points) that parents would choose the college with the higher graduation rate. Moreover, such information was most likely to influence the choices of parents who had relatively low incomes and little admissions savvy. More-affluent parents were less likely to change their preferences based on information about graduation rates.
Andrew P. Kelly, a research fellow at the institute and a co-author of the report, said the results affirm the importance of providing families with clear data that can be used to compare colleges. “It’s heartening, to some extent, that these findings are the way that they are,” Mr. Kelly said. “The college-completion agenda is not about high-achieving students with well-off parents. It’s about guiding students who typically lag behind.”
2 Responses to How Graduation Rates Shape College Choice
22228715 - January 12, 2011 at 7:32 am
Not really earth-shattering conclusions, and not really what was billed in the headline as telling us more about “how” they choose (just that some types of data affect outcomes.) What would be more interesting and useful would be to learn more about what they assume that a high graduation rate means. Do they think it means that a weak student has a better chance there? That the institution requires less effort or initiative for the student? That the student will receive personal coaching? That graduation is a guarantee or near-guarantee? Do they see that measure as an indication of the type of institution or the type of students admitted (to help determine fit?) Or so they see it as just some undefined measure of “good” and trust that whomever did the measuring must know what they’re doing? If they assume it means more assistance or more intrusive assistance, what do they imagine that to be? So, I’m curious not about what data they use, but HOW they use it. Beyond this study… this is about parent choice… where is student choice or impressions or assumptions or altered behavior after exposure to these data?
dank48 - January 12, 2011 at 8:35 am
NFS.