Layers of Influence: Exploring Institutional- and State-Level Effects on College Student Views Toward Access to Public Education for Undocumented Immigrants

Abstract

Providing undocumented immigrants access to public education remains a pertinent issue facing both institutions of higher education and state governments. While instate resident tuition (ISRT) has remained a contentious policy, little is known about how such policies, as well as other state contexts, influence college students' attitudes toward unauthorized immigrant students' educational access. Using three-level multilevel models, we sought to understand how political, economic, and demographic contexts at the institutional and state level affect the development of US citizen students' views toward undocumented immigrants' access to public education during their undergraduate years. After controlling for student-level effects, findings show that institutional variables such as selectivity, control, and percentage of low-income students enrolled contribute to students' attitude development. At the state level, findings show that students who attend institutions within states that have ISRT policies have more positive views towards undocumented immigrants' access to public education at the end of college. This research highlights the critical need for higher education researchers, institutional leaders, and policy makers to better understand how institutional and state contexts shape students' understanding of larger sociopolitical issues.

Accessibility of Education and Support for a Learner After Formal Education: A Case of Lithuania

“…It can be stated that scientific cognition of the phenomenon of accessibility of education is not a new object of research. Meta-analysis of the results of many surveys (Petronienė & Taljūnaitė, 2011;Martišauskienė & Trakšelys, 2013;De Luigi & Martelli, 2015;Garibay, Herrera, Johnston-Guerrero, Garcia, 2016 et al) shows that accessibility of education directly correlates with development of person's well-being. An important component in this interactive process is support for a learner.…”

“…Socio-economic and socio-cultural challenges, such as penetration of modern technologies into education (Spector, 2014, Indrašienė, Merfeldaitė, Railienė, & Jegelevičienė, 2015Dudaitė & Prakapas, 2017), change in society population structure (Garibay et al, 2016), new attitude towards the roles of educator (Zhu, 2010) and learner (Ally, Grimus, & Ebner, 2014), encourage the search for different models of support for a child and family (Indrašienė & Merfeldaitė, 2010;Kairienė, 2010 et al).…”

“…Until the 1990s, the scientific literature mostly discussed the accessibility of education as an expression of social justice. Nowadays research is linked to the accessibility of education in diferent regions of the world (Durowaiye & Khan, 2017), migration (Garibay, Herrera, Johnston-Guerrero, & Garcia, 2016), challenges of the virtual world (Ally, Grimus, & Ebner, 2014). This encourages rethinking the issues related to the accessibility of education and support for a learner.…”

Undocumented Students and Strategic Enrollment Management: Guidance and Considerations for Finance, Policy, and Inclusive Practice

“…And while some states, colleges, and university systems have been proactive in creating a more inclusionary policy environment for students around financial aid and in‐state tuition benefits (Cohen, ; Olivas, , ), it must be reiterated that this should not be taken to mean that unfettered access to higher education is occurring for this group. Instead, it is better understood as a signal within states and systems that undocumented students are welcome within the education landscape; even if the underlying policies and legal requirements related to Plyer v. Doe are not applicable to higher education at this point (Conger & Chellman, ; Garcia & Tierney, ; Garibay, Herrera, Johnston‐Guerrero, & Garcia, ; Nguyen & Serna, ; Ovink et al, ; Perez, ; Suarez‐Orozco et al, ). With this in mind, the scholarly literature provides some guidance for those who work in SEM and its component areas (Burkhardt et al, ; Frum, 2007; Gildersleeve, ; Kruger, ; Perez, ).…”

“…This can easily be adapted to SEM by determining which areas do not require status information, those that might but do not clearly outline this information, and, finally, those that unequivocally require such information. Recognize the effects of “symbolic” state and institutional policies on the perceptions of undocumented students. The sociopolitical environment of the states has been shown to clearly influence how students view their place in higher education, especially when restrictive state or institutional policies are employed (Burkhardt et al, ; Cebulko & Silver, ; Frum, 2007; Garibay et al, ; Gildersleeve et al, ; Nguyen & Serna, ; Ovink et al, ). Indeed, research has shown that these in‐state tuition policies for undocumented students have resulted in increased enrollments (Flores, , ; Kaushal, ). Finally, work to develop an “Undocuwelcoming” campus (Suarez et al, 2015).…”