luminafoundation.org | Mar. 9, 2007

New report recommends how to improve student tracking data
Workforce report: Increasing U.S. competitiveness
Community colleges and the Workforce Investment Act
Transitioning adults to college
Aligning appropriations, tuition and financial aid
College access may give false sense of opportunity, report warns
How states can set a higher education policy agenda
Student services, support may be key to success

KnowHow2Go college-access campaign launched
Big dreams and good grades aren't enough to get into college. KnowHow2GO, a national public service campaign, informs young people about the steps they need to take to make their college dreams a reality.
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Achieving the Dream commitment extends to 2012
Lumina has committed up to $18 million in additional funds over five years to Achieving the Dream, a multiyear initiative aimed at improving student success at the nation's community colleges.
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Lumina announces grants
During the last three months of 2006, Lumina Foundation awarded $16.9 million in grants, benefiting 79 organizations in 24 states.
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Community college students: Paths to success
Community college students take different paths on their route to a college degree. Institutions must understand these paths to improve student success.
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New Web site offers transfer information
The National Articulation and Transfer Network (NATN) has unveiled a new Web site that acts as a student services and information portal.
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Critical Connections: Linking States' Unit Record Systems to Track Student Progress

[ TRACKING STUDENT SUCCESS ]

As the task of increasing student achievement levels becomes increasingly complex, state policymakers see a growing need for longitudinal information about student progression. Critical Connections, a new Lumina report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, lays out the issues and recommends next steps.

Tough Choices or Tough Times

[ INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS ]

The rates of college degree attainment are increasing faster in almost every developed nation than in the United States. Tough Choices or Tough Times, from the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce , proposes a plan to improve education in the United States and increase our competitiveness in the world's workforce.

Economic forces drive need for educated workforce

[ WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ]

The rapid pace of technological change and the global economy have dramatically increased the need for an academically capable workforce. Community colleges enroll almost half of all U.S. undergraduate students and play a significant role in workforce development. Working It Out: Community Colleges and the Workforce Investment Act, a report from the Institute for the Study of Family, Work, and Community, examines how community colleges and local and regional workforce-development programs can work together to improve this nation's workforce.

Transitioning Adults to College

[ ADULT LEARNERS ]

Adult students are becoming the new majority on U.S. campuses, and many of these students face language barriers and deficiencies in academic preparation. Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models, a paper from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, reviews adult basic education-to-college transition programs and aims to develop a typology of these programs that includes five models.

Sharpening the Dialogue

[ COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY ]

Going to college is part of the American dream, but making that dream a reality can be a complex undertaking. Sharpening the Dialogue: Engaging Policymakers in the Alignment of Appropriations, from the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, examines ways to make college more affordable. It advocates a focus on ATFA -- appropriations, tuition and financial aid.

Unintended consequences of access

[ HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED ]

Access to postsecondary education without success is giving California Community College (CCC) students a false sense of opportunity. That trend could jeopardize the state's competitive edge in the global economy, according to a new report. Rules of the Game warns that less than one fourth of CCC students fulfill their goal of completing a community college program.

Report offers advice for setting higher education agenda

[ POLICY IN THE STATES ]

Some states are trying to become more strategic in how they invest in postsecondary education. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education report, Setting a Public Agenda for Higher Education in the States, offers guidance to states wanting to set new education policy grounded in state performance and directed toward meeting the needs of state residents. This report is a follow-up to Measuring Up, which provides information to assess and improve postsecondary education in each state.

Full menu of services, support may boost attainment

[ HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED ]

Many students who begin postsecondary education drop out before completing a degree. According to a study and working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a combination of academic tutoring services and a financial reward might be the best recipe for student retention.