Collaborative Research: Theory and Evidence on Competition in U.S. Higher Education

本文将对高等教育中竞争的性质和后果进行理论和实证研究。在拟议的理论框架中，学生的能力和家庭收入不同。在一所大学里，学生的成绩取决于学生自身的能力，取决于每个学生投入到教学中的投入，取决于学生同龄人的能力。每一所大学都寻求通过学生的平均成绩来最大限度地提高质量。大学是通过捐赠基金来区分的，这提供了进入大学的障碍。这种模型将对大学的招生和财政援助政策做出预测。该模型还将预测不同收入和能力的学生在大学之间的均衡分配，以及不同收入和能力水平的学生支付的助学金的学费净额。关于高校分化的预测也将出现。这些预测将把大学间捐赠资金的排序与平均成绩、平均学生能力、平均家庭收入和每个学生的平均教学支出的排序联系起来。该提案总结了初步的理论结果，以及拟议的理论研究，以开发额外的性质和可检验的预测。模型的预测将使用从国家教育统计中心(NCES)的国家高等教育资助研究(NPSAS)获得的机密数据进行测试。这些数据为大样本学生提供了信息，包括标准化(SAT/ACT)考试的成绩、家庭收入和接受的经济援助。机密数据库将样本中的学生与他们就读的大学联系起来，因此关于大学的数据(例如，招生、捐赠、SAT平均成绩)以及学生样本的数据可以结合在一起，用于对该模型的实证测试。美国很大一部分顶尖大学声称实行按需录取和按需定价，并声称也遵守联邦立法中体现的需要的定义。拟议的理论研究将调查在什么情况下坚持这种做法可能对大学有利。这项拟议的理论研究还将为高校之间的学生分配、不同能力和家庭收入的学生支付的助学金的学费网络以及高校的差异化性质发展这种做法的均衡含义。这些预测也将得到实证检验。

AbstractSBR-9905375Theoretical and empirical research on the nature and consequences of competition in higher education will be conducted. In the proposed theoretical framework, students differ by ability and by the income of their households. Within a college, a student's achievement depends on the student's own ability, on the inputs per student devoted to instruction, and on the ability of the student's peers. Each college seeks to maximize quality as reflected by average achievement of its students. Colleges are differentiated by endowments, which provide a barrier to entry.This model will yield predictions about the admission and financial aid policies of colleges. The model will also yield predictions about the equilibrium allocation of students of differing income and ability across colleges, and about tuition net of financial aid paid by students of differing income and ability levels. Predictions about the differentiation of colleges and universities will also emerge. These predictions will relate the ordering of endowments across universities to the ordering of average achievement, average student ability, average household income, and average instructional expenditures per student. Initial theoretical results are summarized in the proposal as well as proposed theoretical research to develop additional properties and testable predictions.The predictions of the model will be tested using confidential data obtained for this project from the National Postsecondary Financial Aid Study (NPSAS) of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). These data provide information for a large sample of students including scores on standardized (SAT/ACT) tests, household income, and financial aid received. The confidential data base links the students in the sample to the colleges they attend, so that data on colleges (e.g., enrollment, endowment, average SAT scores) as well as on the sample of students can be combined for the empirical testing of the model.A large portion of top colleges in the U.S. claim to practice need-blind admission and need-only pricing, claiming also adherence to the definition of need embodied in Federal legislation. Proposed theoretical research will investigate conditions under which adherence to such practices may be beneficial to colleges. The proposed theoretical research will also develop the equilibrium implications of such practices for the allocation of students across colleges and universities, for the tuition net of financial aid paid by students of differing abilities and households income, and for the nature of differentiation of colleges and universities. These predictions will also be tested empirically.