Papers by Nicholas Hillman
American Educational Research Journal
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
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The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
ABSTRACT This article introduces a collection of empirical work that examines the role of state p... more ABSTRACT This article introduces a collection of empirical work that examines the role of state policy in promoting students' progression into and through higher education. We provide an overview of U.S. state policy innovations that have occurred in recent years and we identify both the challenges and opportunities associated with studying public policy and higher education attainment in the states. The article concludes by outlining the perspectives of the articles included in this collection and provides a synopsis of each.
Teachers College Record, 2014
Teachers College Record
This study updates and extends the literature on how families financially prepare for college and... more This study updates and extends the literature on how families financially prepare for college and examines socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in timing of college financial preparations. Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we find that socioeconomically privileged families have greater chances of financially preparing their children for college, and they often prepare very early in their child’s life.
The Journal of Higher Education, 2014
ABSTRACT As states explore strategies for increasing educational attainment levels, attention is ... more ABSTRACT As states explore strategies for increasing educational attainment levels, attention is being paid to performance funding. This study asks, “Does the introduction of performance funding programs affect degree completion among participating states?” Utilizing a quasi-experimental research design we find limited evidence that performance funding significantly increases baccalaureate degree completions.
ASHE Higher Education Report, 2015
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2015
ABSTRACT In 2007, Washington adopted the Student Achievement Initiative, a statewide performance ... more ABSTRACT In 2007, Washington adopted the Student Achievement Initiative, a statewide performance accountability system designed to improve retention rates and degree productivity among community colleges. Using difference-in-differences analysis, we found that the policy change has had little immediate effect on retention rates or associate’s degree productivity. However, community colleges produced more short-term certificates after the policy reform. These results are robust across many alternative comparison groups. Considering that certificates yield less value in the labor market than associate’s degrees but are easier for colleges to produce, we discuss the unintended consequences of rewarding colleges based on the number of credentials they produce.
The Review of Higher Education, 2008
ABSTRACT Merit Aid and the Politics of Education is a timely and relevant contribution to the stu... more ABSTRACT Merit Aid and the Politics of Education is a timely and relevant contribution to the study of state financial aid policy and higher education governance. Eric Ness provides an excellent synthesis of the political process that three states (New Mexico, West Virginia, and Tennessee) went through when designing their merit-based scholarship programs. Ness’s primary purpose in this book is to understand how states determine eligibility for merit-based scholarships. Additionally, he examines the extent to which three theoretical frameworks explain the political process that occurred when these states crafted their merit aid policies. Since Georgia began the nation’s first broad-based merit aid program in 1993, 14 states have established similar programs (p. 163). The emergence of state merit aid programs has attracted considerable attention in financial aid policy research circles. This book is a natural complement to the existing body of research on state merit aid because it provides readers with the rich qualitative context that has not been fully examined by higher education policy scholars. Ness uses a case study research design including interviews with such policy actors as governors, state legislators, policy analysts, and higher education officials to provide information on the behind-the-scenes machinations that make merit aid programs such a popular yet contentious financial aid issue. The book begins with an introduction to three policy frameworks that provide a lens for looking at state higher education policy: advocacy coalition, multiple streams, and electoral connection. Advocacy coalition theory is based on the concept that actors coalesce around a political issue if the issue aligns with their own core political beliefs; coalitions will change when external factors (such as public opinion and elections) bring about change. In New Mexico and West Virginia, this framework provides an insightful look at how newly elected governors were able to shepherd merit aid programs through the legislature. As a result of shifts in coalitions and political parties, advocates of merit aid scholarships were able to move their policy initiatives forward. The multiple streams framework provides the most compelling analysis in each case study, as it explains how “policy entrepreneurs” (i.e., ambitious legislators or governors seeking reelection) often sell contentious policy proposals by coupling them with proposals that serve a higher public purpose. In Tennessee and West Virginia, for example, elected officials coupled contentious state lotteries and gaming machines to popular merit scholarship programs to legitimize state-sanctioned gambling. As explained by one state legislator, “Who’s going to be against providing college education to A/B students of middle-class families? I mean, no one’s against that.” It appears that legislators are using merit aid as a way to manipulate public opinion to shepherd their pet projects through the legislature. The electoral connection framework also gives insight into the decision-making process, as it explains how officials make decisions that maximize their chances to get reelected, or that seek to serve their constituents’ best interests. In Tennessee, the legislative Black Caucus lobbied to change the merit scholarship eligibility requirements to benefit students from their own districts. This framework helps explain how a “well-greased policy process” (p. 141) can be interrupted by elected officials who seek to connect policies to their constituents’ best interests. The book provides useful insights into the reasons policymakers in several states have enacted merit-based financial aid policies. As a result, it is an important contribution to our understanding of the rise of merit aid programs. This volume is especially interesting because of the growing concern among many policy advocates that states are not doing enough to adequately support the financial needs of low-income and minority students. In recent years, researchers have found that broad-based merit aid programs disproportionately benefit White and middle- to upper-income students who would have likely gone to college anyway without assistance from the state (Heller &amp; Marin, 2002). Ness’s book does not attempt to address whether states should invest in merit-based or need-based programs. However, by understanding the dynamics of the policy process, policymakers and researchers are in a better position to examine the underlying assumptions and values associated with the enactment of state merit-based financial aid programs. In...
Research in Higher Education, 2014
ABSTRACT In 2004, Colorado introduced the nation’s first voucher model for financing public highe... more ABSTRACT In 2004, Colorado introduced the nation’s first voucher model for financing public higher education. With state appropriations now allocated to students, rather than institutions, state officials expect this model to create cost efficiencies while also expanding college access. Using difference-in-difference regression analysis, we find limited evidence that these outcomes occurred within the 4-year sector; however, the policy increased cost efficiencies among community college and reduced college access for some underrepresented groups. The paper discusses the challenges of applying market-based reforms to public higher education.
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2008
Among all the students who transfer from one institution to another during their academic careers... more Among all the students who transfer from one institution to another during their academic careers, a distinct group of “reverse transfer” students has emerged over time. Reverse transfer occurs when students begin their college careers at 4-year institutions but eventually transfer into 2-year institutions. Using student unit record data from the state of Indiana, this study used regression analysis to identify student characteristics that influence reverse transfer. The authors discuss state and institutional policy implications of this nontraditional enrollment pattern.
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
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Papers by Nicholas Hillman