Nathan Willers
LightNews LightNews
nathanwillers.bsky.social
Nathan Willers
@nathanwillers.bsky.social
7 followers 33 following 2 posts
Into higher ed, graduation regalia, tech, and culture.
Posts Replies Media Videos
nathanwillers.bsky.social
Things my small dog is mortally afraid of, serious to silly:
Smoke alarms
Thunder
The Apple Pay sound
Appliance beeps
Her mom's red light face mask
Me biting a carrot
March 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Nathan Willers
marykeister.bsky.social
Important research that is worth a read by #highered communicators. (Takeaway from that abstract: 😬)
dynarski.bsky.social Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · Nov 18
Holy crap this is an astounding piece of historical research

Will post ungated link later today unless someone beats me to it

www.nber.org/system/files...
The G.I. Bill, Standardized Testing, and Socioeconomic Origins of the U.S. Educational Elite Over a Century Ran Abramitzky, Jennifer K. Kowalski, Santiago Pérez, and Joseph Price NBER Working Paper No. 33164 November 2024 JEL No. 123, 124, N32 ABSTRACT We compile, transcribe, and standardize historical records for 2.5 million students at 65 elite (private and public) U.S. colleges. By combining these data with more recent survey and administrative data, we assemble the largest dataset on the socioeconomic backgrounds of students at American colleges spanning the last 100 years. We document the following: First, despite a large increase in the share of lower-income students in the overall college-going population, the representation of these students at elite private or public colleges has remained at similarly low levels throughout the last century. Second, the representation of upper-income students at elite colleges decreased after World War II, but this group has regained its high representation since the 1980s. Third, while there has been no increase in the economic diversity of elite private and public colleges, these colleges have become more racially and geographically diverse. Fourth, two major policy changes in the history of American higher education, namely the G.I. Bill after World War II and the introduction of standardized tests for admissions, had little success in increasing the representation of lower- and middle-income students at elite colleges.
November 18, 2024 at 8:44 PM