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 Cost Containment - A Survey of Current Priorities at America's State Colleges and Universities American Association of State Colleges and Universities - SunGard Higher Education (April 2008 - Education Commission of the State/ECS) The report, the results of a survey of 114 member institutions, identifies eight avenues of cost containment and provides insight into highly replicable "best practices" that could produce effective cost savings and thus increase academic affordability, access and institutional accountability. Parent Expectations and Planning for College - Statistical Analysis Report National Center for Education Statistics (April 2008 - ECS) This finds that 91% of students in grades 6 through 12 had parents who expected them to continue their education beyond high school, with 65% having had parents who expected them to finish college. Education Sector (April 2008 - ECS) This report suggests that, at many college campuses, the gap in the graduation rates of black and white students is embarrassingly large, raising questions about the experience of black students once enrolled. DENIED: Community College Students Lack Access to Affordable Loans The Project on Student Debt (April 2008 - ECS) This new study finds that more than 1 million community college students can't get federal loans because their schools decline to participate in the program. The report said students who can't get federal loans may have to work more or take on private loans and credit card debt. Disparities in Turnout and Civic Education Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (April 2008) According to this new research, 79 percent of young voters on Super Tuesday attended college. This is so remarkable because half of Americans ages 18 through 29 have never even enrolled in higher education. This gap also is prevalent in youth turnout rates as 25 percent of eligible young voters with college experience voted on Super Tuesday, compared to one in 14 eligible young voters with no college experience. (Public Education Network - PEN) The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) (March 2008) The organization has released their annual report which forecasts numbers of American high school graduates. WICHE finds that the current rapid expansion in the number of high school graduates will reach a peak in 2007-08, when total graduates will exceed 3.34 million. (PEN) Opening Doors - A Good Start (Two Year Effects of a Freshmen Learning Community) MDRC - Building Knowledge to Improve Social Policy (March 2008) Remedial education remains a struggle for many community colleges, which are expected to help students who are not prepared for college-level work. This study suggests that "learning communities" in which students take several courses together as a cohort could significantly improve students' performance in remedial courses and ability to advance to college-level work. Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America Economic Mobility Project - An Initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts (February 2008) This report finds that economic mobility, the chance that children of the poor or middle class will climb up the income ladder, has not changed significantly over the past three decades. The authors warn that widening gaps in higher education could soon lead to a downturn in opportunities for the poorest families. Peach State Poll: Georgians See Higher Education As Key to Success Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE) and the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government (February 2008) According to this report, almost all Georgians (98 percent) say that a college education is either very important (83 percent) or somewhat important (15 percent) for an individual to succeed in life today. Here is the full report and the ARCHE analysis. Appropriations of State Tax Funds for Operating Expenses of Higher Education in the 50 States for Fiscal Years 1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Center for the Study of Education Policy - Illinois State University (January 2008) State appropriations for higher education are indeed healthy for the 2008 fiscal year, up 7.5 percent, the largest percentage increase in a decade, according to this report. But other studies released recently - not to mention grim budget forecasts in such states as California - suggest that this may be a peak year in terms of state support going up. Adding It Up: State Challenges for Increasing College Access and Success Making Opportunity Affordable (November 2007) For years, the United States has led the world in the percentage of adults possessing a college degree. This leadership has taken the national economy to unprecedented levels, harnessing knowledge to drive innovation and improve social mobility. But that competitive edge is slipping away. This compendium of key indicators gauges each state's readiness to meet the demand for a more educated population. Aligned Expectations - A Closer Look at College Admissions and Placement Tests Achieve, Inc. - American Diploma Project Network (April 2007) In an effort to raise high school graduation standards, some states are incorporating college-admissions or -placement tests into their testing programs. But this analysis urges the states to proceed with caution. Minding the Gap: Why Integrating High Schools with College Makes Sense and How To Do It JFF and Harvard Press (October 2007) This book underlines the fact that college has become the new high school. Most well-paying positions now require at least a two-year associates degree. This lays out an initiative (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) designed for promoting post-seconadry education. Here is a companion Opinion piece from the October 10 USA Today, "The new high school." College Readiness - Aligning Postsecondary Expectations and High School Priorities: The Gap Defined - National Curriculum Survey Results 2005 - 2006 ACT (April 2007) This study highlights the gap between what high schools are teaching in their college-prepatory courses and what colleges want incoming students to know. The study is based on a national curriculum survey of more than 6,500 middle school, high school, and postsecondary English, reading, math, and science teachers. |
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