Ashley B. Clayton, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Higher Education Administration
program at Louisiana State University and holds the Jo Ellen Levy Yates Endowed Professorship.
Clayton’s research agenda focuses on college student access and success, as well as
higher education leadership and finance. Her work has been published in top-tier education
journals such as the Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, Journal
of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, Innovative Higher Education,
Journal of Student Financial Aid, and Educational Policy. As an active member of the
Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and the American Educational
Research Association (AERA), she has served on several conference program committees
and in various volunteer capacities.
Clayton is a native of Williamsburg, Virginia, and previously worked in undergraduate
admissions and TRIO Upward Bound before her faculty career. During her eight years
in Louisiana, Clayton has intentionally collaborated with partners on campus, at nearby
institutions, and in the community to address a variety of issues related to higher
education admissions, assessment, finance, and leadership.
Clayton, A. B., & Worsham, R. E. (2024). Preparing students for postsecondary enrollment: A difference-in-differences
analysis of college advising on college readiness. Innovative Higher Education 49, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09664-7
Billings, M. S., Clayton, A. B., & Worsham, R. E. (2022). FAFSA and beyond: How advisers reduce burdens in the financial
aid process. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 51(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.55504/0884-9153.1737
Clayton, A. B., Worsham, R. E., & *Reavis, G. (2022). Summer melt and delayed enrollment: Unpacking
high school seniors’ college intentions and later decisions. Journal of The First-Year
Experience and Students in Transition, 34(1), 61–78. www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/fyesit/fyesit/2022/00000034/00000001/art00004
Toutkoushian, R. K., *May-Trifiletti, J. A., & Clayton, A. B. (2021). From “first in family” to “first to finish”: Does college graduation vary
by how first-generation college status is defined? Educational Policy, 35(3), 481–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818823753
Worsham, R. E., Clayton, A. B., & Gayles, J. G. (2021). Exploring rural engineering students’ college choice process
at two land-grant universities. The Rural Educator, 42(3), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v42i3.1181
Clayton, A. B., & Umbach, P. D. (2020). Making it free and easy: Exploring the effects of North
Carolina College Application Week on college access. The Review of Higher Education,
44(1), 87–119. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2020.0036
Whatley, M. E., & Clayton, A. B. (2020). Study abroad for low-income students: The relationship between need-based
aid and access to education abroad. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 49(2), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.55504/0884-9153.1679
Clayton, A. B. (2019). Helping students navigate the college choice process: The experiences and
practices of college advising professionals in public high schools. The Review of
Higher Education, 42(4), 1401–1429. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2019.0070
Clayton, A. B., Lloyd, V., & Burdette, R. (2024, November). Communication-Intensive courses as high-impact practice: Examining the relationship
between course-taking behaviors and graduation outcomes [Paper presentation]. 49th Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of
Higher Education, Minneapolis, MN.
Clayton, A. B., Tevis, T. L., & La Point, R. (2024, November). College and financial advising practices of counselors in California Title I high
schools [Paper presentation]. 49th Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Higher
Education, Minneapolis, MN.
Worsham, R., Clayton, A. B., & Gayles, J. G. (2023, April). Exploring the transition and first-year experiences of engineering students from rural
areas [Paper presentation]. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association,
Chicago, IL.
Clayton, A. B., Barrow, D., & Freeman, H. (2023, April). College access and admissions practices: Strengthening partnerships through service-learning
[Conference session]. Gulf-South Summit, Athens, GA.
Clayton, A. B., Cutler White, C., Sublett, C., Blaney, J., Felix, E., & Grote, D. (2022, April).
Expanding community college opportunities: Access, transfer, and completion [Panel]. Annual Conference of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, Tempe,
AZ.
Institutional Agents: Exploring High School Counselors’ College Knowledge in California
Title I Schools:
Founder: The Spencer Foundation
Grant amount: $49,983
Role: Co-PI
Time of Service: 2020-2022
Mentorship Award (2024)
College of Human Sciences & Education, Louisiana State University
ASHE/Ascendium Fellow & Research Team Member (2022)
Nevada Institute, Association for the Study of Higher Education
Rising Faculty Research Award (2022)
Alumni Association, Louisiana State University
Non-Tenured Faculty Award in the Humanities & Social Sciences (2020)
Phi Kappa Phi, Louisiana State University
