February 2009 - Student Access & Success News - Lumina Foundation: Helping People Achieve Their Potential

luminafoundation.org | February 2009

Higher-ed spending
Opinion poll: college costs
Merisotis speaks to lawmakers, ACE
Top 10 policy issues
Barriers to access
College-readiness report
Developmental ed reports
The applied baccalaureate
Immigrants: workforce asset
Transfer rates analysis
Latest AP results
Education & earnings
Data points

Lumina names senior VP
Lumina has appointed Juan (Kiko) Suarez as senior vice president for external affairs.
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K-16 policy toolkit available
Policymakers and researchers wanting information on the high school-to-college-readiness connection can access a K-16 policy toolkit developed by Bridge Project researchers at Stanford's Institute for Higher Education Research.
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Call for nominations
Excelencia in Education is accepting nominations for the 2009 Examples of Excelencia, a national initiative to identify and promote programs and departments that help improve Latinos postsecondary success.
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Tell us what you think
We strive to provide useful, timely information about postsecondary student success. Tell us how this newsletter can better serve the mission of improved student access and success.
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Higher ed spending: A look inside the black box
Students are paying more for college and getting less in the classroom, says a new Delta Project report. Trends in College Spending: Where Does the Money Come From? Where Does It Go? examines state-by-state financial trends in higher education institutions' operating budgets. Among the findings: The gap between rich and poor schools is growing. Spending is up in some institutions, but not where the majority of students enroll. The fastest growth is at institutions with the least resources and the greatest evidence of recent spending cuts-public community colleges.

Opinion poll: College costs at all-time high
Higher education has become less affordable at a time when a college degree is more important than ever for individuals and the economy. That is the message from a new public opinion research poll by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Policy. Read Squeeze Play 2009: The Public's Views on College Costs Today.

Lumina Foundation supports state policy organizations, initiatives and research that promote student success in postsecondary education. This support can inform policymakers as they develop policies and practices that will lead to a stronger U.S. workforce, a higher standard of living and a better quality of life for the nation's citizens.

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Higher-ed budget cuts could harm U.S. economic strength
In these tough economic times, states should preserve their public investments in building skilled labor forces, with a focus on maintaining college access and affordability, Lumina President Jamie Merisotis recently told Connecticut lawmakers. Merisotis' testimony included tips for navigating through the recession.

Merisotis: A sense of urgency
Americans face the most challenging economic conditions since the 1930s. That is why a college education is so vital to U.S. citizens and the economic vitality of this nation, said Lumina President Jamie Merisotis in a recent speech to the American Council on Education.

Policy matters: State policy issues for 2009
The economic downturn, state budget deficits, tuition increases, undocumented students and college readiness are among the top 10 policy issues most likely to affect public higher education in 2009, according to a list from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

Levers for change: Policy approaches to improve access
For some students, the route to college is blurred because of information and affordability issues. Strategies to Empower Low-Income and Minority Students in Gaining Admission to and Paying for College from the Education Commission of the States recommends policy to narrow these access barriers, including simplifying college admissions and financial aid processes and creating programs to offer personalized guidance.

Progress report on college readiness
The rigor and quality of a high school curriculum contribute to a student's college readiness and success. High student dropout rates cost the nation more than $320 billion a year in lost wages, taxes and productivity. Accelerating the Agenda: Actions to Improve America's High Schools, a joint report from four organizations, cites challenges facing U.S. high schools, including the need to recast academic standards to be fewer in number, clearer in focus, and higher in rigor.

Wanted: More federal involvement in college remediation
Ill-prepared and ill-equipped-that's the verdict of a study on high school graduates who enter college today. Bridging the Gap: How to Strengthen the Pk-16 Pipeline to Improve College Readiness from the New America Foundation urges the federal government to increase its investment in early intervention college-readiness programs and better evaluate college-remediation efforts.

New college remediation evidence: Money is not the issue
Colleges must do more to support the influx of students needing remediation, concludes a study from Strong American Schools. Diploma to Nowhere contends the issue is not lack of money, but prioritization. While more than a third of all college students require remediation, higher education spending on low-performing students represents only about 2 percent of all expenditures.

Students not making A to Z connection
Using data from 57 Achieving the Dream schools, a study from the Community College Research Center at Columbia University suggests that community college students who require the most remedial work-three or more courses-also are the most likely to drop out. Males, Blacks, part-timers and vocational students are the least likely to progress through their full remedial sequences.

Adult learners and the applied baccalaureate
The changing face of the nation's economy means jobs that once required a high school diploma now demand a baccalaureate-level education. The Adult Learner and the Applied Baccalaureate from the Office of Community College Research and Leadership shows how the applied baccalaureate degree is a viable option to address workforce development and education attainment issues of adult learners and other underserved populations.

Hispanics: An emerging workforce asset
The nation's future labor force will be defined by the rapid growth of Hispanics. A more concerted effort must occur to educate documented Hispanic immigrants, says a new report from Excelencia in Education. Building Tomorrow's Workforce shows how six innovative partnerships between community colleges and employers are educating Latino immigrants and preparing them for better jobs.

Analyzing transfer rates of community college students
The pathway to college is increasingly more complex for community college students. The latest issue of Data Notes examines the transfer rates of Achieving the Dream colleges and the enrollment patterns of students who transfer to another institution either before or after receiving their community college degree.

AP passage rates show mixed results
More than 15 percent of public high school students passed at least one Advanced Placement exam last year, but African-Americans are still far less likely to pass, or even take, the exam when compared to Whites, Hispanics, or Asian students. Read the College Board's 2008 AP Report to the Nation.

Boosting education, earnings of low-income students
For many low-income students, the ability to break the chains of poverty is hindered by information deficits. Pathways to Boosting the Earnings of Low-Income Students by Increasing their Educational Attainment from the Hudson Institute reveals that while higher levels of postsecondary degrees correspond with higher earnings, certificates from two-year colleges also lead to well-paying careers, especially among low-performing students.

Educational attainment levels for the states
» The United States is likely to face an unprecedented shortage of college-educated workers by 2020. The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems estimates needing nearly 800,000 more college graduates each year from now through 2025 to compete with top-performing nations. Find out how your state is doing in college attainment.

The adult learner and the applied baccalaureate
» The percentage of adults with a baccalaureate degree or higher is as low as 18 percent in some states, and only as high as 41 percent in the best.

Source: The Adult Learner and the Applied Baccalaureate: Emerging Lessons for State and Local Implementation

Missed opportunities
» Between 1999-2000 and 2003-2004, the number of low- and moderate-income undergraduates who did not file a FAFSA and, therefore, may have missed an opportunity to receive federal, state, and institutional aid to help pay for college, rose from 1.7 million to 1.8 million.

Source: Strategies to Empower Low-Income and Minority Students in Gaining Admission to and Paying for College

Adult literacy skills
» One in seven adults will be unable to read this newsletter. An NCES study shows that an estimated 32 million adults struggle with low literacy skills. California fares the worst among all 50 states. View individual state scores.

Source: National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003

Public's view on college costs
» More than half of Americans (53 percent) say that colleges could spend less and still maintain high-quality education.

Source: Squeeze Play 2009: The Public's Views on College Costs Today

Trends in college spending
» As government aid declines, two-year colleges, which educate the largest share of low-income and minority students, spend about 50 percent less per student than private research universities.

Source: Trends in College Spending: Where Does the Money Come From? Where Does It Go?

The changing face of America's workforce
» The U.S. labor force will grow from 147 million to 162 million between 2004 and 2014. During this period, the Hispanic workforce will increase from 19 million to 26 million.

Source: Building Tomorrow's Workforce