Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2018 Historical Trend Report

Overview & Synopsis

The purposes of this equity indicators project are to: (1) report the status of higher education equity in the United States and identify changes over time in measures of equity; (2) identify policies and practices that promote and hinder progress; and (3) illustrate the need for increased support of policies, programs, and practices that not only improve overall attainment in higher education but also create greater equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes. Family income remains the primary focus of the 2018 report. Recognizing the need to also address inequity based on other interrelated demographic characteristics, reports since 2016 also include selected indicators that highlight differences by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). In these reports, SES is measured by an index comprised of family income, parents' education, and parents' occupation developed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). For the first time, the 2018 "Indicators" report includes data describing higher education equity by U.S. state. Considering indicators of equity by state is essential given the many differences across the 50 states in historical, demographic, economic, and political characteristics, as well as the characteristics of their K-12 and higher education systems. This report presents data as far back as comparable data warrant, often beginning with 1970. In addition to providing longitudinal indicators of equity, the "Indicators" project is also intended to advance productive conversation about effective policies and practices for improving equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes. In 2018, the "Indicators" project is launching the "Improving Equity in Higher Education Search for Solutions Blog" hosted by PennAHEAD (http://www.ahead-penn.org/) intended to further advance discussion of how to create meaningful improvements in higher education equity. Methodological Appendix A provides additional notes, tables, and figures. A combined list of references and resources is included. [For "Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2017 Historical Trend Report," see ED583542.]