Performance-Based Funding for Community Colleges: Are Colleges Disadvantaged by Serving the Most Disadvantaged Students?

Lyle McKinney and Linda Serra Hagedorn

The Journal of Higher Education, 2017, vol. 88, issue 2, 159-182

Abstract: Texas recently adopted a new performance-based funding (PBF) model for community colleges. Using institutional student unit record data, this study applied the metrics from this PBF model to examine enrollment outcomes among 5,900 students attending a large, racially/ethnically diverse community college system in the state. Our findings revealed stark differences in PBF apportioned to the college as a function of students' characteristics. On average, students who were Asian, age 19 or younger, pursuing academic/transfer degrees, enrolled full-time, Pell Grant recipients, and assigned to the highest-levels (i.e. closest to college-level) of developmental math procured the most PBF for the college. Conversely, African American, older adults, part-time students, GED holders, and students assigned to the lowest level of developmental math secured much less funding. To assuage undesirable consequences on institutional behavior, we recommend modifications to Texas' PBF model that could help ensure community colleges are not discouraged from serving less advantaged students.

Date: 2017
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00221546.2016.1243948 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:uhejxx:v:88:y:2017:i:2:p:159-182

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/uhej20

DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2016.1243948

Access Statistics for this article

The Journal of Higher Education is currently edited by Mitchell Chang

More articles in The Journal of Higher Education from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().