Research

Working Papers

Impact of Increased Transportation Access on Postsecondary Outcomes: Evidence from Undocumented Students (Job Market Paper)

Abstract: There exists a well-established relationship between the distance to college and college success outcomes, but few studies have explored how this relationship is mitigated through transportation access. Because of the endogenous relationship between transportation and higher education policy, studying the relationship between transportation access and college attendance and success has not been explored causally. In this study, I explore this relationship by studying a unique population that gained increased access to transportation: undocumented immigrants. Over the last 15 years, many states have provided undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status. The staggered implementation of these policies allows me to use a difference-in-differences strategy to causally study the effects of this decrease in transportation costs on college student enrollment and attainment. Preliminary findings suggest that passage of these laws increased college attendance by around 3.7 to 4 percentage points and college attainment by around 1.1 to 1.3 percentage points. Finally, I discuss future analysis and a some potential implications stemming from these findings.

Education and Labor Market Effects of Being Documented: Evidence from DACA (with Matthew Shaw)

How do Postsecondary Institutions Respond to Appropriations Changes (with Alexis Gable and Susha Roy)

Peer-Reviewed Research

Jensen, B., Mejía-Arauz, R., Grajeda, S., Toranzo, S. G., Encinas, J., & Larsen, R. (2020). Measuring cultural aspects of teacher–child interactions to foster equitable developmental opportunities for young Latino children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly.