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Community Colleges: Across the United States nearly 1,200 community colleges play a vital role in higher education. They enroll more than 11.5 million students — nearly half of all undergraduates — and they attract high proportions of low-income, minority and first-generation college students. Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count is a national initiative to help more community college students succeed, particularly students of color and low-income students. The initiative works on multiple fronts — including efforts at community colleges and in research, public engagement and public policy — and emphasizes the use of data to drive change. More...

Research Reports

Each of these reports offers an in-depth examination of an important issue in education, even though that issue may be peripheral to Lumina Foundation's main mission.

If you are unable to download these reports or have trouble printing any report, please e-mail us to request a printed copy.  (In your e-mail message, please include your name and mailing address and the title of the publication you are requesting.)

Fixing the Formula: A New Approach to Determining Independent Students’ Ability to Pay for College (PDF) by Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst for the College Board and professor, Skidmore College, shows how flawed calculations of independent students’ financial capacity can jeopardize educational opportunities for those truly in need. In this report, Baum proposes a more reliable method of determining the subsidies required by independent students. (May 2006)

Data Don’t Drive: Building a Practitioner-Driven Culture of Inquiry to Assess Community College Performance (PDF) by Alicia Dowd, assistant professor, the University of Massachusetts Boston, reviews data-based benchmarking practices. These assessment efforts aim to improve student learning and help students complete their courses of study. (December 2005)

Expanding College Access: The Impact of State Finance Strategies by Edward St. John, Choong-Geun Chung, Glenda D. Musoba, Ada B. Simmons, Ontario S. Wooden and Jesse P. Mendez, Indiana Education Policy Center at Indiana University — The buying power of the federal Pell grant has dropped sharply as college costs have increased, reducing college access for lower-income students.  What is the net impact of state finance strategies for higher education on college enrollment? Read the results of this research report. (February 2004)

Following the Mobile Student: Can We Develop the Capacity for a Comprehensive Database to Assess Student Progression? (PDF) by Peter T. Ewell, Paula R. Schild and Karen Paulson, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems — There is a growing need for more complete measurements of student success in the nation's colleges and universities. Learn why it is both feasible and desirable to develop a comprehensive system to follow students' progress. (April 2003)

Learning Between Systems: Adapting Higher Education Financing Methods to Early Care and Education (PDF) by independent early-childhood consultant Teresa Vast — This report explores features of higher education financing as potential strategies for financing a system of high-quality early care and education. (July 2001)




 
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