The Socioeconomic WellBeing of Washington State: Who Attends Community and Technical Colleges

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The Socioeconomic Well-Being of Washington
StateWho Attends Community and Technical
Colleges
For Information Contact David Prince, Manager,
Research Analysis Phone [phone] email
dprince_at_sbctc.ctc.edu Washington State Board for
Community and Technical Colleges
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Acknowledgements

• The State Board for Community Colleges wishes to
  thank the Ford Foundations Bridges to
  Opportunity Program and the Washington State
  College Spark Foundation for their support for
  this project.

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A Census Based Proxy for Student Socioeconomic
Status and Income

• Based on census data for income, education (BA or
  higher) and occupation (professional/managerial)
• Student address matched to census
• Student assigned average and household income SES
  for area mapped

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Washington State Socioeconomic Status Quintiles
1990 and 2000
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Race still matters.
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Our colleges mirror the state- providing access
and opportunity for people at all levels
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Participation rates measure how close the
resemblance is between state population and
students

• Part Rate of students state population
• Part Rate less than 1 less than population
• Part Rate 1 Parity
• Part Rate greater than 1 more than population

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Young adults in low SES quintiles are less likely
to go directly to college than those in high SES
quintiles.

• Young adults (18-24 yrs old) from the 2 lowest
  socioeconomic status households are less likely
  to go more directly college as compared to young
  persons in middle and higher socioeconomic status
  households.
• Instead persons in low SES households come to
  college when they are older adults (25 years).
• Typically they come for job skills training and
  re-training. Often they begin in basic skills
  programs.
• This trend rate is increasing.

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Participation for Younger and Older Students by
SES Quintiles- 2000
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The issue is more compelling when we consider
that more than ever before our future adults are
being born and raised in low SES households.
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Running Start and online instruction, 2
bellwethers for consumer markets, both need to be
grown effectively in ways that reach all
socioeconomic levels equally

• Both Running Start and online instruction give
  access to students from all socio-economic
  backgrounds, but have higher participation rates
  among middle to higher SES students.
• We need to ask what it is that attracts consumers
  to these bellwether programs and how we can
  reach all markets? Is it that they both have
  predominantly academic course offerings?
• If so, we need more experiments such as
  apprenticeship Running Start options and GED
  instruction that is delivered online to broaden
  participation.

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Participation Rates by Socioeconomic Quintiles-
Running Start and Online Instruction- 2000
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Students socioeconomic differences become even
more magnified by colleges, raising the question,
How best can system support colleges so varied
in student body and community make-up?
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Tuition hikes vs. growth in household income

• Tuition increases on average have outpaced
  household income growth more than 21 between
  1989 and 2005.
• Tuition as percent of income ranges from 6.5 for
  lowest income households to 1.5 for highest.

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It is reasonable to presume that increasing
tuition is having an effect on students.

• Younger Students (18-24 years old) in lower SES
  households- median income just under 40K, may
  be the tip of the iceberg for families that feel
  the strain.
• We dont know if it is due to actual costs,
  perceptions of cost, or perceived benefits vs.
  cost.

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Conclusions, Next Steps

• The question to ask about participation is not
  only who, but when.
• The social policy question we need to keep asking
  is, Do the children from every socioeconomic
  level in our state have the same opportunities to
  prepare for and go directly to college?
• New bellwethers- Math Transition Project- are all
  consumers being educated? WASL Alternative- what
  else does it mean?
• Next step- student outcomes and socioeconomic
  status

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Full report available at

• http//www.sbctc.ctc.edu/data/rsrchrpts/Resh06-4_J
  AN.doc