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Democratization and Diversion: The Effect of Missouri's A+ Schools Program on Postsecondary Enrollment

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  • José Muñoz
  • James R. Harrington
  • Bradley R. Curs
  • Mark Ehlert

Abstract

Recent federal and state education policy has targeted community colleges as an affordable venue to increase postsecondary attainment. We examined a state program aimed at increasing community college enrollment, the Missouri A+ Schools Program, which provided eligible graduates from participating high schools the opportunity to earn a scholarship at a Missouri public two-year college. The Missouri A+ Schools Program aims to increase the democratization of education by providing greater access to attend postsecondary institutions but may simultaneously create a diversion away from four-year colleges. The staggered adoption of the Missouri A+ Schools Program across high schools allowed a quasi-experimental estimation of the effect of the program on postsecondary enrollment. The Missouri A+ Schools Program increased the overall college-going rate by 1.5 percentage points for graduates from A+ designated high schools. Furthermore, the A+ Schools Program increased two-year college-going rates by 5.3 percentage points, and decreased four-year college-going rates by 3.8 percentage points. Overall, the A+ Schools Program provided a democratizing effect by increasing overall postsecondary enrollment, while simultaneously creating a diversionary effect through increased two-year enrollment and a decline in four-year enrollment.

Suggested Citation

  • José Muñoz & James R. Harrington & Bradley R. Curs & Mark Ehlert, 2016. "Democratization and Diversion: The Effect of Missouri's A+ Schools Program on Postsecondary Enrollment," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 87(6), pages 801-830, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:uhejxx:v:87:y:2016:i:6:p:801-830
    DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2016.11780888
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