College Promise Programs as Symbolic Politics

Autor/inn/en	Monaghan, David B.; Attewell, Paul A.
Titel	College Promise Programs as Symbolic Politics
Quelle	In: Sociology of Education, 96 (2023) 4, S.301-323 (23 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Monaghan, David B.) ORCID (Attewell, Paul A.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0038-0407
DOI	10.1177/00380407231183459
Schlagwörter	Community Colleges; Tuition; Student Costs; Politics of Education; Financial Support; Scholarships; College Enrollment; Administrator Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; High Schools; Counselors; Program Effectiveness; College Faculty; Administrators; Community College Students; Student Attitudes; Educational Finance; Tennessee + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Community college; Community College; Unterweisung; Unterricht; Studienkosten; Educational policy; Bildungspolitik; Finanzielle Förderung; Scholarship; Stipendium; Lehrerverhalten; High school; Oberschule; Counselor; Counsellor; Counsellors; Berater; Fakultät; Community colleges; College students; Collegestudent; Schülerverhalten; Bildungsfonds
Abstract	Since the Tennessee Promise's 2014 launch, "free college" or "Promise" programs have proliferated rapidly and converged on design features: a "last-dollar" award and community college applicability. Researchers who study these programs' effects generally presume they are tuition-reducing endeavors. In contrast, we argue that many such programs are exercises in "symbolic politics," that is, they perform organizational altruism and meet survival imperatives while minimally reducing real costs. We illustrate this by detailing the creation, implementation, and results of a Promise program at a large community college. Cost concerns and the need to appeal to critical publics led the college to adopt a last-dollar design and numerous eligibility criteria. Consequently, few applicants were funded. However, many applicants believed they had received the scholarship, the college's enrollment increased, and the program received widespread acclaim. We discuss implications for higher education policy and the applicability of symbolic politics to organizational action. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01