Resource and Information Gaps: Policies Affecting Academic Trajectories

This dissertation explores students’ access to high-quality information and advisors to help them advance through the K-12 education system and into the postsecondary system. Financial aid policies are an example of one type of high-resource, high-intensity intervention to address income gaps in college-going. However, there are several other potential policy interventions that address the non-pecuniary resources students need to navigate the education system, and there are several leverage points earlier in students’ education trajectory that merit intervention well before students make the decision about whether and where to apply to college.

This research was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant # #R305B130013 to the University of Virginia. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education. Any errors or omissions are my own.