Active participation by students, educators, community members and policymakers is the most important ingredient in the college success equation. The following recent publications and articles, published under the auspices of organizations other than Lumina Foundation, underscore the need for strong commitment and outreach and solid partnerships to improve the nation's college-success rate, meet workforce demands of the global economy and address social inequality.

More rigor needed to prepare students for college, ACT says
ACT has released its annual report on college readiness. While it shows continued improvement in preparation for college-level coursework, it also sounds a cautionary note that more rigor is needed in the core college-preparatory curriculum in high schools, based on the large numbers of students who completed such a core curriculum but fell short of ACT’s college-readiness standards. See the 2007 national and state scores.

States should adopt P-16 approach, SHEEO report says
College attainment is increasingly important to the U.S. economy as the workforce demands higher levels of skills and knowledge. According to some estimates, by 2025 there will be a shortage of 16 million college-educated adults in the workforce at the current rates of college-degree production. States that adopt P-16 systems and approaches that lead to more student success will benefit economically and socially. Read  More Student Success: A Systemic Solution, recently released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers.

Will education gap contribute to a perfect storm for U.S.?
The converging forces of inadequate literacy skills, a changing economy and an increasingly diverse population are putting our nation at risk. A recent Educational Testing Service's report, America's Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing our Nation's Future, recommends investing in policies that narrow existing education gaps.

International comparisons: How the U.S stacks up
A recent National Center for Education Statistics report compares education in the United States with the world's most economically developed nations, the G-8 countries. Among the findings: Higher employment rates are associated with higher levels of educational attainment in the United States. The United States is slipping in international rankings of the numbers of postsecondary degree holders. Other nations are reaching higher education attainment rates as high as 53 percent among the young-adult population, compared to 38 percent in this country. Read Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and other G-8 countries: 2006.

Beyond Access: The challenge of student persistence
California must do more than expand access to community college if the state is to prepare the workforce needed to remain economically competitive in the 21st century.  Beyond Access: How the First Semester Matters for Community College Students’ Aspirations and Persistence , a policy brief from Policy Analysis for California Education, shows that fewer than half of the young high school graduates who entered California community colleges with the goal of transferring to four-year colleges in 1998 made it through their first semester with their goals intact.

College access and success for the working poor
Higher education is critical to improving the lives of the working poor, as jobs today increasingly require higher education. However, the working poor face obstacles that prevent college access and success. College Access for the Working Poor: Overcoming Burdens to Succeed in Higher Education, from the Institute for Higher Education Policy, examines the higher education experiences, financial challenges, attendance and completion rates of the working poor and makes recommendations for policies and practices that might raise their enrollment and completion rates.

Do we really have a college access problem?
In a recent Change Magazine article titled, Do We Really Have a College Access Problem? , Clifford Adelman examines different definitions of "college access." He argues that lack of "participation" in college is more of a problem than lack of "access" to college. Using the U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Longitudinal Study, Adelman examines the size and nature of the college access problem facing our nation.

State grant aid can influence students' college choices
A popular and growing form of state grant-aid program is one that combines financial need with certain academic benchmarks that connect students' academic preparation in high school with benchmarks to aid in college success. State Grant Aid and Its Effects on Students' College Choices , released by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, examines grant-aid programs in 11 states, describing the qualifications for eligibility and the policy environments involved in creating them.

The role of private finance in the rising cost of college
Around the globe, governments that support higher education are finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace with rising costs. As a result, private finance now plays a vital role in increasing opportunities for students. A report The Global State of Higher Education and the Rise of Private Finance, released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, explores the growing importance of private capital for nations in which governments need additional resources to pay for rising costs and increasing enrollment rates.