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Title: Exploring Neighborhood Effects and Socioeconomic Background in College Enrollment: A Longitudinal Analysis in St. Cloud, Minnesota
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2018
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Abstract: We follow the transition from high school to college and the characteristics of college enrollment from 2009 to 2017 in four cohorts of high school graduates in Saint Cloud Minnesota, using student records from the school district administrative system and the National Student Clearinghouse data on college registration. Residential addresses are geocoded at the census block group level to incorporate neighborhood effects. Logistic model, Two Step Least Squares, and survival analysis are applied to explore the effects of socioeconomic determinants in college enrollment, timing of enrollment and postsecondary education choices. Logistic models fail to reflect neighborhood effects across most specifications. High school grades, sex and family background have robust effects in these models. When GPA is considered endogenous to socioeconomic determinants, findings show neighborhood effects are robust and have a large impact on high school performance and college enrollment. Neighborhood educational attainment, unemployment, and income are strong predictors of enrollment and offset individual characteristics. Racial segregation is insignificant across most specifications. Evidence from survival models suggests that GPA, sex, and socioeconomic background are related to early enrollment. Students with better high school grades are more likely to enroll in 4 Year institutions and less likely to enroll in 2 Year institution, and have lower odds to enroll into For-Profit institutions. Results highlight the importance of neighborhood effects to explain educational outcomes and heterogeneous educational choices. It also stresses dynamic complementarities in education
Url: https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=econ_etds
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Authors: Guerrero, Diego Alejandro
Institution: St. Cloud State University
Department: Department of Economics
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Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS
Topics: Education
Countries: United States