Introduction

Abstract

Why write a book about using quantitative techniques in higher education policy analysis? There are several reasons why I decided to write this book. First, the idea for this book evolved out of a graduate-level course that I have been teaching over the past few years at the University of Maryland. In that course, I instruct students on how to conduct state-level higher education policy research that addresses such questions as how college enrollment rates across states are influenced by the economic and political context of state higher education policy or how college completion rates across states are affected by state governance and the regulation of higher education. Based on their interests, students are instructed on how to design and manage panel datasets. Students are introduced to, discuss, and may draw from such data sources. In the course, students are encouraged to think deeply about higher research policy questions within the context of the concerns of policymakers and the broader public. This prompted me to think about how quantitative techniques in higher education policy research should be rigorous, relevant, accessible to policymakers as well as the public in general, but also forward-looking (hence, Chap. 9).