Making the grade- A framework for evaluating race and access in t

Florida International University FIU Digital Commons Honors College Research Collection Honors College 4-19-2021 Making the grade: A framework for evaluating race and access in the State University System of Florida, 2019 Alexander Paul Anacki aanacki@fiu.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/honors-research Recommended Citation Anacki, Alexander Paul, "Making the grade: A framework for evaluating race and access in the State University System of Florida, 2019" (2021) Honors College Research Collection https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/honors-research/5 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at FIU Digital Commons It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Research Collection by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons For more information, please contact dcc@fiu.edu FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida MAKING THE GRADE: A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING RACE AND ACCESS IN THE STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF FLORIDA, 2019 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the HONORS COLLEGE at FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY by Alexander Paul Anacki 2021 © Copyright 2021 by Alexander Paul Anacki All rights reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My time as a researcher at the FIU Jorge M Pérez Metropolitan Center expanded the scope of my research abilities I owe much of that to Dr Howard Frank, the Center’s Director and my thesis advisor, whose years of experience at FIU have informed his clear-eyed vision for what higher education should look like I have benefited greatly from his advice and support from the start of this project in Summer 2020 I owe a debt of gratitude to Lori Wiley, without whom I would not love research the way I ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS MAKING THE GRADE by Alexander Paul Anacki Florida International University, 2021 Miami, Florida In Florida, state reforms such as performance-based funding, preeminence, and the elimination of race-based affirmative action have influenced the composition of student populations in the State University System of Florida (SUS), particularly the composition of Black students across the SUS This research creates a new framework with which to evaluate state universities, referred to as a Report Card It utilizes analytical frameworks developed by Allen et al (2018), Chetty et al (2017), Peters & Voight (2018), and Leonhardt (2017), and data points were extracted from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the SUS, the Florida Department of Education (FL DOE), the U.S Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year, and Chetty et al (2017) This study calculates Report Card Scores to evaluate the five universities in three categories: Racial Equity, Access, and University Quality It found that flagship universities in Florida have limited racial diversity and relatively strong student outcomes, while diverse institutions provide greater upward mobility for students TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I INTRODUCTION ………………………………….………………………………….……………………8 II LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………….………………………………….…………….11 A Racial Disparities………………………………….………………………………….…………… 11 B Admissions Practices and Rankings………………………………….…………………………15 C Access and Opportunity………………………………….……………………………………… 18 III METHODOLOGY………………………………….………………………………….…………………….20 IV LIMITATIONS………………………………….………………………………….……………………… 24 V RESULTS………………………………….………………………………….……………………………… 25 VI DISCUSSION………………………………….………………………………….……………………………29 LIST OF REFERENCES………………………………….………………………………….……………………… 30 APPENDICES………………………………….………………………………….…………………………………… 37 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE Score Legend………………………………….………………………………….…………………………….20 Universities………………………………….………………………………….………………………………22 Data Sources………………………………….………………………………….…………………………… 23 Sample Report Card………………………………….………………………………….………………… 23 Racial Equity Comparison………………………………….………………………………….……………27 Economic Opportunity Comparison………………………………….………………………………….27 University Quality Comparison………………………………….………………………………….…….28 Report Card, University of Florida……………………….………………………………….………… 40 Report Card, Florida State University………………………………….……………………………… 41 10 Report Card, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University………………………………….… 42 11 Report Card, Florida Atlantic University………………………………….………………………… 43 12 Report Card, Florida International University………………………………….…………………… 44 13 Value, Rank, and Score Conversions………………………………….…………………………………45 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE Racial Equity Score by University………………………………….…………………………………… 37 Economic Opportunity Score by University………………………………….……………………… 38 University Quality Score by University………………………………….………………………………39 “Florida has long been known as the Sunshine State, and it’s now time that the nation recognize Florida also as the clearly established Education State.” — Richard Corcoran, Florida Commissioner of Education, 2019 “If you dramatically reduce diversity, you’re going to reduce the quality of education for all of the students, minority and non-minority alike.” — Charles E Young, President of the University of Florida, 1999-2003 Introduction In announcing the elimination of race-based affirmative action in 1999, the administration of then-Governor Jeb Bush made a basic argument: “Diversity that disregards performance and focuses solely on race or ethnicity is wrong It is discrimination” (Johnson & Cobb-Roberts, 2007).1 By framing affordable action as a practice that disregarded performance, Bush made the basic assumption that diversity in Florida’s colleges and universities prior to 2000 was a consequence of unqualified students gaining admission By eliminating affordable action, then, Bush felt that students of color could still find admissions success via race-neutral factors Alongside traditional metrics (GPA, SAT/ACT), these race-neutral factors include first generation status and geographic location, in addition to white-preferential practices such as legacy admissions In the same period, Bush introduced the Talented 20 program which provided guaranteed SUS admission to the top 20% of students from each Florida high school In years following Bush’s executive order, the proportion of students at state universities who identify with a racial or ethnic minority has declined notably (Fessenden & Keller, 2015; Johnson et al., 2007; Samuels, 2015) And, while Talented 20 was introduced as a more equitable, merit-based method of affirmative action, Black See “Executive Order 99-281” (1999) for Bush’s executive order relating to affirmative action This is referred to as “One Florida.” enrollment declined or remained stagnant at the state flagships (Marin & Lee, 2003).2 What Bush failed to recognize is that the college admissions process requires a series of scarce resources from students and families: time, money, a quality high school, college counseling, a family background in higher education Without just one of these resources, the ability of a given student to access a quality college education grows fragile Students of color are particularly vulnerable to this challenge Admissions practices risk creating a self-perpetuating prophecy of only the most privileged students receiving access to the best-funded education when they are not conscious of race and class In Florida, this prophecy has implications for students in minority groups, some of whom are increasingly unable to access education from the state’s top two universities Though economic status is not explicitly considered, though it is implicitly evident through one’s high school, their curriculum, their resume, their access to standardized testing help, and their preparation for the application process as a whole; these factors, among others, are results of one’s background characteristics Florida has the unique privilege of the Bright Futures program, which provides full or partial tuition coverage to students who meet a certain set of academic standards and volunteerism These standards, however, pose challenges to students without the resources to fulfill them, and an emphasis on need-based aid would be more beneficial to on-campus diversity (Mugglestone et al., 2019) While higher education is affordable for some, it is not necessarily accessible; therefore, it cannot be considered adequate.3 See Marin & Lee (2003) for a detailed review of the decision-making process surrounding Bush-era higher education reforms, coupled with their early outcomes Adequacy — “the fiscal support needed to meet the objectives of education as required by statutory or constitutional language” — must be evaluated through a lens of inclusivity where possible — specifically, inclusivity “of output and outcomes analysis of all social subsets of individuals” (Mullin & Honeyman, 2008) Frank, H A., Ilcheva, M., Boza, D., & Cristo, C (2017) FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus: Future Prospects and Challenges FIU Jorge M Perez Metropolitan Center Guistwhite, J C (1975) A Comparison of Selected Factors Which Influenced Graduates of Florida Public Community Colleges to Enroll in a State University in Florida [Doctor of Education] Florida Atlantic University Hamilton, D., Darity, W., Price, A., Sridharan, V., & Tippett, R (2015) Umbrellas Don’t Make it Rain: Why Studying and Working Hard Isn't Enough for Black Americans Jack, A A (2019) The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students Harvard University Press Johnson, L., Cobb-Roberts, D., & Shircliffe, B (2007) African Americans and the Struggle for Opportunity in Florida Public Higher Education, 1947–1977 University of South Florida Scholar Commons: Educational and Psychological Studies Kutner, M (2014) How to game the college rankings Boston Magazine https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-colleg e-rankings/ Long, M C (2004) Race and College Admissions: An Alternative to Affirmative Action? The Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(4), 1020–1033 Marin, P., & Lee, E K (2003) Appearance and Reality in the Sunshine State: The Talented 20 Program in Florida The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University 33 McIntosh, K., Moss, E., Nunn, R., & Shambaugh, J (2020, February 27) Examining the Black-white wealth gap Brookings https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealt h-gap/ Micceri, T (2003) The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts: Predicting FTIC Enrollment Online Submission http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497457.pdf Micceri, T., & Borman, K (2006) An Analysis of Recent Enrollment, Discipline and Graduation Trends among Females and Underrepresented Minorities at SUS Institutions Online Submission http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497370.pdf Monks, J., & Ehrenberg, R G (1999) The Impact of U.S News & World Report College Rankings on Admissions Outcomes and Pricing Policies at Selective Private Institutions Mugglestone, K., Dancy, K., & Voight, M (2019) Opportunity lost: Net price and equity at public flagship institutions Institute for Higher Education Policy http://www.ihep.org/research/publications/opportunity-lost-net-price-and-equity-publicflagship-institutions Mullin, C M., & Honeyman, D S (2008) Accounting for Equity: Performance-based Budgeting and Fiscal Equity in Florida Journal of Education Finance, 34(2), 109–138 Performance-Based Funding (n.d.) State University System of Florida Retrieved October 2, 2020, from https://www.flbog.edu/finance/performance-based-funding/ 34 Performance-Based Funding Study (2019) State University System of Florida Peters, E H., & Voight, M (2018) Access and Completion Gaps at Public Flagships in the Great Lakes Region Institute for Higher Education Policy Preeminent state research universities program, 1001.7065 (2014) Retrieved form https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2014/1001.7065 Rothstein, R (2017) The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America Liveright Publishing Samuels, R (2015, April 6) After Bush order, Florida universities cope with shrinking black enrollment The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-bush-order-florida-universities-cope-with -shrinking-black-enrollment/2015/04/06/82d1e574-bcfe-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.ht ml Selingo, J (2020) Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions Simon and Schuster Stolzenberg, E B., Aragon, M C., Romo, E., Couch, V., McLennan, D., Eagan, M K.,& Kang, N (2020) The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2019 - Expanded Edition University of California, Los Angeles Tough, P (2019) The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 35 Umbricht, M R., Fernandez, F., & Ortagus, J C (2017) An Examination of the (Un)Intended Consequences of Performance Funding in Higher Education Educational Policy , 31(5), 643–673 36 APPENDICES Chart 1: Racial Equity Score by University 37 Chart 2: Economic Opportunity Score by University 38 Chart 3: University Quality Score by University 39 Table 8: Report Card, University of Florida University of Florida Metric Amount Rank Index Score Racial Equity Black undergraduate students 6.52% Difference between Black Florida high school graduates and Black undergraduate students 14.73% Difference between Black undergraduate students and degrees awarded to Black students 66% Difference between Black MSA or County population and Black undergraduate students 11.18% Economic Opportunity University access rate (Pell recipients) 28.6% Net price $2,140 University Quality 4-year graduation rate 67.1% Mobility rate 2.61% 40 Table 9: Report Card, Florida State University Florida State University Metric Amount Rank Index Score Racial Equity Black undergraduate students 8.72% Difference between Black Florida high school graduates and Black undergraduate students 12.53% Difference between Black undergraduate students and degrees awarded to Black students 1.45% Difference between Black MSA or County population and Black undergraduate students 23.68% Economic Opportunity University access rate (Pell recipients) 28.30% 10 Net price $8,680 4 University Quality 4-year graduation rate 71.50% Mobility rate 2.16% 41 Table 10: Report Card, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Metric Amount Rank Index Score Racial Equity Black undergraduate students 85.64% Difference between Black Florida high school graduates and Black undergraduate students -64.39% 10 Difference between Black undergraduate students and degrees awarded to Black students -4.46% 10 Difference between Black MSA or County population and Black undergraduate students -53.24% 10 Economic Opportunity University access rate (Pell recipients) 65.60% Net price $7,640 University Quality 4-year graduation rate 22.50% 10 Mobility rate 3.27% 42 Table 11: Report Card, Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University Metric Amount Rank Index Score Racial Equity Black undergraduate students 20.31% Difference between Black Florida high school graduates and Black undergraduate students 0.94% Difference between Black undergraduate students and degrees awarded to Black students -0.93% Difference between Black MSA or County population and Black undergraduate students -0.21% Economic Opportunity University access rate (Pell recipients) 42.90% Net price $12,230 University Quality 4-year graduation rate 33.90% Mobility rate 3.07% 43 Table 12: Report Card, Florida International University Florida International University Metric Amount Rank Index Score Racial Equity Black undergraduate students 12.75% Difference between Black Florida high school graduates and Black undergraduate students 8.50% Difference between Black undergraduate students and degrees awarded to Black students 30% 4 Difference between Black MSA or County population and Black undergraduate students 7.35% Economic Opportunity University access rate (Pell recipients) 52.00% Net price $11,930 University Quality 4-year graduation rate 38.90% Mobility rate 5.22% 44 Table 13: Value, Rank, and Score Conversions Racial Equity Value 2 85.64% -65.39% -4.46% -53.24% 65.60% $7,640 22.50% 3.27% 10 10 10 10 1 5 FAMU Score (5th) 20.31% Rank FAU -0.21% 42.90% $12,230 33.90% 3.07% 8 5 2 7.24% FGCU -0.47% 0.86% 32.50% $15,350 28.80% 1.88% 7 10 9 2 1 (3rd) 12.75% (5th, tied) (5th) 8.50% 0.30% 7.35% 52.00% $11,930 38.90% 5.22% 6 45 18 (6th, tied) 24 (3rd, tied) (3rd, tied) 14.01% Score Rank (3rd, tied) Overall Score (3rd, tied) -0.93% 12 (1st, tied) Rank Value (1st, tied) 0.94% Score Value University Quality Rank Value Economic Opportunity 14 (8th) FIU Score Value 8.72% FSU 11.40% UCF UF $8,680 71.50% 2.16% 10 1 UNF Rank Score (4th, tied) 0.56% 4.00% 40.60% $12,070 45.70% 2.60% 4 4 4 (4th, tied) 0.66% 11.18% 28.60% $2,140 67.10% 2.61% 9 5 5 0.19% 11.74% 30.70% $12,970 38.50% 1.69% 6 8 10 3 2 3 (5th, tied) 46 22 (4th) (1st, tied) 11.99% (4th, tied) 24 (3rd, tied) (2nd, tied) 14.73% (3rd, tied) 20 (5th) (2nd, tied) 9.85% (4th, tied) 28 (1st) (1st, tied) 28.30% Score 9.26% 23.68% 12 (1st, tied) Rank 1.45% Score 6.52% (2nd) (4th, tied) Rank Value -12.53% Score Value 12 (1st, tied) Rank Value 4 (4th, tied) 15 (7th) Value 10.49% Rank USF 10.76% 0.21% 1.01% 41.70% $7,130 58.60% 2.75% 5 4 3 4 4 Score Value Rank UWF Score 10 (2nd) 11.57% (1st, tied) (1st, tied) 9.68% -1.01% 4.53% 39.60% $9,920 31.30% 2.00% 8 3 2 (4th, tied) (3rd, tied) 47 27 (2nd) (4th, tied) 18 (6th, tied) ... models…[using] market research to find new and better-qualified applicants… [and deploying] financial aid strategically, as a way to attract and retain the students who would best serve [an] institution’s...FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida MAKING THE GRADE: A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING RACE AND ACCESS IN THE STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF FLORIDA, 2019 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment... California and Texas, the elimination of affirmative action had no impact on application decisions of minority students, meaning that students did not see affirmative action as a deterrent to