| Title: |
Variation in Community College Funding Levels: A Focus on Equity. Research Report |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Sandy Baum; Jason Cohn; Urban Institute |
| Source: |
Urban Institute. 2023. |
| Availability: |
Urban Institute. 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5687; Fax: 202-467-5775; Web site: http://www.urban.org |
| Peer Reviewed: |
N |
| Page Count: |
50 |
| Publication Date: |
2023 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: |
Community Colleges; Financial Support; African American Students; Hispanic American Students; Low Income Students; Educational Equity (Finance); Federal Aid; Grants; Undergraduate Study; Federal State Relationship |
| Geographic Terms: |
West Virginia; Virginia; Texas; Missouri; Colorado; California; Arkansas |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: |
Pell Grant Program |
| Abstract: |
Funding for community colleges varies significantly, even within the same state. Several factors account for these differences, including more generous funding for smaller institutions to compensate for their higher costs per student, unequal local funding from property tax revenues, and political forces. In theory, this variation could lead to systemic inequities in funding levels by race, ethnicity, and economic status. Such inequities could arise if students from historically underserved groups are concentrated in community colleges that receive the lowest levels of funding from state and local appropriations. This analysis finds no such consistent patterns across the nation but does find concerning patterns in a few states. Significant differences in funding levels across states are likely to be the result of differences in state and local postsecondary support at all levels, priorities attached to two-year versus four-year institutions, and methods of allocating resources among eligible institutions. In addition, allocation systems, combined with demographic differences among community college students, can create sizeable differences in funding levels among the institutions within a state. This analysis focuses on these funding differences across community colleges within states, investigating the prevalence of differences in state and local funding levels between Black students and all other students, Hispanic students and all other students, and low-income students (proxied by the receipt of Pell grants) and higher-income students. |
| Abstractor: |
ERIC |
| Entry Date: |
2024 |
| Accession Number: |
ED638349 |
| Database: |
ERIC |