Affirmative Action and Precollege Human Capital

Area of Science:

• Education Policy
• Sociology of Education
• Economics of Education

Background:

• Racial affirmative action (AA) policies are common in U.S. college admissions.
• Limited empirical evidence exists on the effects of AA on precollege educational outcomes.
• A U.S. Supreme Court ruling reinstated AA in three states, providing a natural experiment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of affirmative action policies on precollege student outcomes.
• To identify differential effects of AA on various racial groups.
• To understand how AA influences academic performance and college application behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nationwide SAT data to analyze the effects of AA reinstatement.
• Employed Texas administrative data (grades, attendance, college applications) for detailed analysis.
• Employed difference-in-differences or similar quasi-experimental methods to identify causal effects.

Main Results:

• Affirmative action policies showed positive effects for both White students and underrepresented minorities.
• AA significantly narrowed racial disparities in precollege grades, attendance rates, and college application submissions.
• Improvements for minority students were concentrated among those in the upper half of the test score distribution.

Conclusions:

• Reinstatement of affirmative action policies had measurable positive effects on precollege human capital and educational attainment.
• The benefits of AA extended beyond college admissions, influencing earlier educational trajectories.
• Targeted interventions within AA policies may be most effective for students with higher potential for human capital investment.