Melissa A. Clark
Mathematica Policy Research
PO Box 2393
Princeton, NJ 08543-2393
E-Mail: 
NBER Working Papers and Publications
| August 2008 | Selection Bias in College Admissions Test Scores
with Jesse Rothstein, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach: w14265
Data from college admissions tests can provide a valuable measure of student achievement, but the non-representativeness of test-takers is an important concern. We examine selectivity bias in both state-level and school-level SAT and ACT averages. The degree of selectivity may differ importantly across and within schools, and across and within states. To identify within-state selectivity, we use a control function approach that conditions on scores from a representative test. Estimates indicate strong selectivity of test-takers in "ACT states," where most college-bound students take the ACT, and much less selectivity in SAT states. To identify within- and between-school selectivity, we take advantage of a policy reform in Illinois that made taking the ACT a graduation requirement. Est... Published: Clark, Melissa & Rothstein, Jesse & Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore, 2009.
"Selection bias in college admissions test scores,"
Economics of Education Review,
Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 295-307, June.
citation courtesy of 
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| November 2003 | Financial Aid and Students' College Decisions: Evidence from the District of Columbia's Tuition Assistance Grant Program
with Katharine Abraham: w10112
The District of Columbia's Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), instituted in 1999, allows DC residents to attend public colleges and universities throughout the country at considerably lower in-state tuition rates. We use the sharp decline in the price of public colleges and universities faced by residents of the District of Columbia under DCTAG to estimate the effects of price on students' college application and enrollment decisions. Using a sample of students from nearby large cities as a control group, we find that the number and share of DC residents applying to four-year colleges increased substantially under the program, and students were considerably more likely to apply to colleges that were eligible for the subsidy. Freshmen enrollments of DC residents also increased substa... Published: Katharine G. Abraham & Melissa A. Clark, 2006.
"Financial Aid and Students’ College Decisions: Evidence from the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program,"
Journal of Human Resources,
University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 41(3).
citation courtesy of
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