College Unbound | Network helps students succeed
In 1996, education reformer Dennis Littky co-founded Big Picture to help at-risk K-12 students in Providence, R.I. Now the big picture is even bigger. Littky has taken his highly acclaimed model of tailored instruction to the next level: college. More.

3 critical outcomes lead to achievement of the big goal.

Preparation Students are prepared academically, financially and socially for success in education beyond high school.

Success Higher education attainment rates are improved significantly.

Productivity Higher education productivity is increased to expand capacity and serve more students.

 
Latino college readiness | Campaign targets parents
Research shows that more than 65 percent of Hispanic parents lack the right information to motivate their children to go to college. A public service campaign from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Ad Council provides parents with resources to help them understand the college process and take a more active role in their children’s college education.

21st century student |   Immigrant students
America must find ways to tap into the enormous potential of its immigration population, said Lumina President Jamie P. Merisotis in a speech for the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good. The immigration issue is further explored by Rusty Barcélo in The Borders of Opportunity: Immigration and Higher Education, featured in Diversity & Democracy, a publication of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Policy | ACT president testifies on college readiness 
College and career readiness for all students should be a national priority, says Cynthia B. Schmeiser, ACT education division president. Schmeiser recently testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Read her complete testimony.

Data | More high school grads head to college
The share of new high-school graduates enrolled in college reached a record high last year. About 70 percent of the 2.9 million new graduates between the ages of 16 and 24 were taking college-level classes in October 2009, up from 68.6 percent a year earlier, according to recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Affordability | Blacks carrying heavy student debt load
High debt levels are more prevalent for African-American bachelor’s degree recipients than among students from other racial/ethnic groups, according to Who Borrows Most? Bachelor’s Degree Recipients with High Levels of Student Debt, from the College Board. The report also finds that more students are borrowing loan types that will likely cause significant repayment difficulties. 

Research | Why Algebra II? 
Algebra isn’t just about formulas and calculations; it also develops analytical skills and abstract reasoning, according to Why Algebra II?, from ENLACE Florida . The report suggests that Algebra II is instrumental in cultivating real-world skills currently sought by more employers, colleges, and universities.


Insight | Q&A with Anthony Carnevale
Work-related learning, the real cost of higher education and how to pay for it are among the topics Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, addresses in this interview with the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning.

Degree completion | A graduation-oriented culture
Increasing the numbers of people with degrees and certificates will require increasing the rates at which students who typically enroll in college actually graduate. Promoting a Culture of Student Success: How Colleges and Universities Are Improving Degree Completion, from the Southern Regional Education Board, examines the strategies of 15 institutions that are outperforming most similar institutions in helping students stay on track and graduate.

Engagement | Learning communities & student success  
Learning communities, in which students are grouped together in coordinated classes, may encourage underprepared students to complete their studies by linking a developmental course with a college-level course, according to Scaling Up Learning Communities from MDRC and the National Center on Postsecondary research.

Workforce development | Degrees of speed
America’s unemployment rate is on the rise, and millions of unemployed people need to upgrade their skills. Lumina President and CEO Jamie P. Merisotis and Stan Jones, president of Complete College America, co-author an article in Washington Monthly on states whose colleges and universities are developing programs that emphasize timely graduation, job placement, and tracking the careers of students who graduate.   

Workforce needs | Defining career readiness 
What is ‘Career Ready’?, from the Association for Career and Technical Education aims to expand the  discussion around the term “career readiness” by outlining three broad sets of skills students need to be career-ready. Those skills include core academic skills, employability skills and technical skills.

Online ed | Logging on to learn
The gap between distance learning and face-to-face student completion rates has significantly narrowed, according to Trends in eLearning: Tracking the Impact of eLearning at Community Colleges. The study says that distance education completion rates have jumped to 72 percent, just below the 76 percent rate for face-to-face classes.

news Lumina’s Merisotis delivers commencement address Jamie Merisotis, president/CEO of Lumina Foundation for Education, delivered the Commencement Address at Miami Dade College, celebrating its 50th year of serving the South Florida community. Read and watch his speech » Foundations offer $506M for education innovation  Lumina and 11 other foundations are investing $506 million into a federal matching fund aimed at three aspects of education reform: innovation in the classroom, ideas for turning around low-performing schools and research to study ideas that can be expanded across the nation. More » Commission focuses on academic preparation The National Assessment Governing Board recently created a special commission to increase awareness about the skills high school seniors need to enter college and the workplace. More » AACC board chair featured on PBS’ NewsHour  On the PBS program NewsHour, Mary Spilde, president of Lane Community College and chair of the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges, discusses a national accountability standard aimed at boosting graduation rates. More » Chicago colleges target degree completion  Twelve Chicago-area colleges have formed an alliance focused on improving college and baccalaureate graduation rates. More »