Abstract
Early intervention programs can promote access by providing encouragement for academic preparation, but adequate grant aid may be necessary to ensure access for students who prepare. This study examines the impact of Indiana's Twenty-first Century Scholars Program, an intervention that provides supplemental grant aid and academic support for low-income middle and high school students. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that 8th grade students who participated in the program were more likely to apply than their peers, indicating that encouragement had a modest influence on preparation. Receiving grant aid had a substantial influence on enrollment, indicating adequate aid is an important aspect of a comprehensive postsecondary encouragement program.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. (2002). Empty promises: The myth of college access in America. Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Washington, DC.
Becker, W. E. (2004). Omitted variables and sample selection problems in studies of college-going decisions. In: St. John, E. P. (ed.), Readings on Equal Education (Vol. 19). Public Policy and College Access: Investigating the Federal and State Roles in Equalizing Postsecondary Opportunity. AMS Press, Inc., New York. Please update if possible.
Chaikind, S. (1987). College enrollment by black and white students. Prepared for the US Department of Education. DRC, Washington, DC.
Choy, S. P. (2002). Access and Persistence: Findings from 10 years of Longitudinal Research on Students. American Council on Education, Washington, DC.
Fitzgerald, B. (2004). Federal financial aid and college access. In: St. John, E. P. (ed.), Readings on Equal Education (Vol. 19). Public Policy and College Access: Investigating the Federal and State Roles in Equalizing Postsecondary Opportunity. AMS Press, Inc., New York.
Gladieux, L. E., and Wolanin, T. R. (1976). Congress and the Colleges. Heath, Lexington, MA.
Heller, D. E. (1997). Student price response in higher education: An update to Leslie and Brinkman. Journal of Higher Education 68(6): 624–659.
Heller, D. E. (2004). NCES research on college participation: A critical analysis. In: St. John E. P. (ed.), Readings on Equal Education (Vol. 19). Public Policy and College Access: Investigating the Federal and State Roles in Equalizing Postsecondary Opportunity. AMS Press, Inc., New York.
Hossler, D., Schmit, J., and Vesper, N. (1999). Going to College. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Jackson, G. A. (1978). Financial aid and student enrollment. Journal of Higher Education 49: 548–574.
Jackson, G. A., and Weathersby, G. B. (1975). Individual demand for higher education. Journal of Higher Education 46(6): 623–652.
Kane, T. J. (1994). College entry by Blacks since 1970: The role of college costs, family background, and returns to education. The Journal of Political Economy 102(5): 878–911.
Kane, T. J. (1999). The Price of Admission: Rethinking How Americans Pay for College. The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC.
King, J. E. (1999). Conclusion. In: King, J. E. (ed.), Financing a College Education: How it Works, How it's Changing. American Council on Education and The Oryx Press, Westport, CT, pp. 198–202.
Leslie, L. L., and Brinkman, P. T. (1988). The Economic Value of Higher Education. Macmillan, New York.
Manski, C. F., and Wise, D. A. (1983). College Choice in America. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
McPherson, M. S. (1978). The demand for higher education. In: Breneman, D. W., and Finn, C. E., Jr. (eds.), Public Policy and Private Higher Education. Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, pp. 143–146.
McPherson, M. S., and Schapiro, M. O. (1991). Keeping College Affordable. The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC.
McPherson, M. S., and Schapiro, M. O. (1998). The Student Aid Game: Meeting Need and Rewarding Talent in American Higher Education. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
National Center for Education Statistics. (1996). National Education Longitudinal Study: 1988–1994, Descriptive summary report with an essay on access and choice in postsecondary education, NCES 96-175. NCES, Washington, DC.
National Center for Education Statistics. (1997a). Access to higher postsecondary education for the 1992 high school graduates, NCES 98-105. By Lutz Berkner and Lisa Chavez. Project Officer: C. Dennis Carroll. NCES, Washington, DC.
National Center for Education Statistics. (1997b). Confronting the odds: Students at risk and the pipeline to higher education, NCES 98-094. By Laura J. Horn. Project officer: C. Dennis Carroll. NCES, Washington, DC.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2000). Mapping the road to college: Firstgeneration students' math track, planning strategies, and context of support, NCES 2000-153. By Laura Horn and Anne-Marie Nunez. Project Officer: Larry Bobbitt. NCES, Washington, DC.
Paulsen, M. B., and St. John, E. P. (1997). The financial nexus between college choice and persistence. In: Richard, A. V. (ed.), Researching Student Aid: Creating an Action Agenda, New Directions for Institutional Research, no. 95. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 65–82.
Paulsen, M. B., and St. John, E. P. (2002). Social class and college costs: Examining the financial nexus between college choice and persistence. Journal of Higher Education 73(2): 189–236.
Pelavin, S. H., and Kane, M. B. (1988). Minority Participation in Higher Education. Pelavin Associates, Washington, DC.
Pelavin, S. H., and Kane, M. B. (1990). Changing the Odds: Factors Increasing Access to College. College Board, New York.
St. John, E. P. (1990). Price response in enrollment decisions: An analysis of the High School and Beyond senior cohort. Research in Higher Education 31(2): 161–176.
St. John, E. P. (1991). What really influences minority student attendance? An analysis of the High School and Beyond sophomore cohort. Research in Higher Education 32(2): 141–158.
St. John, E. P. (2002). The access challenge: Rethinking the causes of the opportunity gap. Policy Issue Report # 2002-1. Indiana Education Policy Center, Bloomington, IN.
St. John, E. P. (2003). Refinancing the college dream: Access, equal opportunity, and justice for taxpayers. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
St. John, E. P., Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., and Asker, E. H. (2000). Economic influences on persistence reconsidered. In: Braxton, J. M. (ed.), Reworking the Departure Puzzle. Vanderbilt University Press, Nashville, TN, pp. 29–47.
St. John, E. P., Chung, C. G., Musoba, G. D., Simmons, A. B., Wooden, O. S., and Mendez, J. P. (forthcoming). Expanding College Access: The Impact of State Finance Strategies. Lumina Foundation for Education, Indianapolis, IN.
St. John, E. P., and Musoba, G. D. (2002). Academic access and equal opportunity: Rethinking the foundations of policy on diversity. In: Brown, M. C., and Freeman, C. (eds.), Readings on Equal Opportunity. AMS, New York, pp. 171–192.
St. John, E. P., Musoba, G. D., Simmons, A. B., and Chung, C. G. (2002). Meeting the Access Challenge: Indiana's Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. Lumina Foundation for Education, Indianapolis, IN.
St. John, E. P., and Noell, J. (1987). Student loans and higher education opportunities: Evidence on access, persistence, and choice of major, Presented at the Fourth Annual NASSGP/NCHELP Research Network Conference. Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
St. John, E. P., and Noell, J. (1989). The effects of student financial aid on access to higher education: An analysis of progress with special consideration of minority enrollment. Research in Higher Education 30(6): 563–581.
St. John, E. P., Paulsen, M. B., and Starkey, J. B. (1996). The nexus between college choice and persistence. Research in Higher Education 37(2): 175–220.
St. John, E. P., Simmons, A. B., and Musoba, G. D. (2002). Merit-aware admissions in public universities: Increasing diversity. Thought and Action 17(2): 35–46.
Tierney, W., and Hagedorn, L. (2002). Increasing Access to College: Extending the Possibilities for all Students. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
St. John, E.P., Musoba, G.D., Simmons, A. et al. Meeting the Access Challenge: An Examination of Indiana's Twenty-First Century Scholars Program. Research in Higher Education 45, 829–871 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-004-5951-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-004-5951-1