Research | Report: Quality Counts 2012
A well-educated workforce is widely viewed as the path to economic stability and competitiveness, yet new findings from Quality Counts 2012 show the United States struggling to deliver a high-quality education to all students. The report, from
Education Week, examines how other nations get students ready for life after high school, plus the challenges U.S. policymakers face in improving American education for the demands of a 21st century workforce.
Readiness | From exit exams to college prep
Fewer students are required to pass exit exams to graduate from high school today, but more states are administering college and career readiness exams and adopting new assessments based on the Common Core State Standards, according to the 10th annual report from the
Center on Education Policy. State High School Tests: Changes in State Policies and the Impact of the College and Career Readiness Movement provides state profiles of trends in high school testing, exit exams, college entrance exam policies, and college- and career-readiness assessments.
Attainment | Prep for college success
A new policy brief from the Western Interstate Policy Commission assesses ideas and practices that states in WICHE’s
College Access Challenge Grant Network are using to increase the number of low-income students who enroll and succeed in higher education. This brief focuses on state partnerships, FAFSA completion programs, peer mentoring, and need-based financial aid.
Trends | Grantmakers say college, career readiness top priority
College and career readiness remains a top priority for education grant makers. According to Benchmarking Trends in Education Philanthropy in 2011, from
Grantmakers for Education, nearly 70 percent of grant makers made “major investments” in this area in 2011.
Grants | Lumina Foundation announces “NextGen” grantees
Lumina has announced the new grantees of Lumina’s Envisioning the Next Generation of Student Supports competition. The effort seeks technology to improve existing student support and financial aid services. Learn more in this video.
Workforce | College majors and employability
College is still worth the investment, but employment opportunities depend on a student’s major, concludes Hard Times: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal from the
Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce.
Effective practices | MSIs & college-attainment goals
Minority-Serving Institutions have become leaders in educating, serving, and graduating low-income, first-generation, and minority students and, therefore, play a central role in improving U.S. college completion rates, contends
The Role of Minority-Serving Institutions in National College Completion Goals from the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The publication is the first in a series of reports from
Lumina’s MSI Models of Success program.
Degree completion | Improving completion odds
Colleges and universities need to consider a wider set of social, economic and psychological factors to determine how they can help students, especially first-generation students, remain in school and graduate, says Completing College: Assessing Graduation Rates at Four-Year Institution from the
Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA.
Policy | How-to guide on college success
A Guide to Major U.S. College Completion Initiatives, from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities
, is designed to help policymakers answer the “Who? What? When? Where? and Why?” questions about major national/regional college-completion initiatives.
Student success | Gallup poll: College degrees essential
Will increasing postsecondary-success rates lead to a brighter future for individuals and society? Yes, according to the findings of a new Gallup poll. The survey, conducted in May 2011, shows Americans overwhelmingly believe college degrees are essential to jump-starting job growth and addressing the nation’s financial uncertainty.
Policy | Study examines performance funding
Do performance-based funding policies improve institutional efficiency and result in more courses completed and degrees earned? The Impacts of State Performance Funding Systems on Higher Education Institutions, from the Community College Research Center
, examines the program’s successes and limitations in states that link appropriations and campus performance.
Trends | Top 10 higher education issues for 2012
Boosting institutional efficiency and college completion are among the issues expected to lead higher education policy discussions and debates in 2012, reports Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2012
, from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Workforce development | CCs need more job training funds
Community colleges play a vital role in helping American workers obtain skills needed to be economically competitive in today’s workforce, but high unemployment rates are causing many states to cut their community college operating budgets, concludes a report from
The Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama.
Accountability| The role of college trustees in higher ed reform
Still on the Sidelines, from Public Agenda, explores the potential of college and university trustees to act as key change agents in promoting greater productivity and other reform changes. The report offers candid perspectives from 39 college trustees. | 
