News and views in higher education attainment from Lumina Foundation

Featured Story

Adult Pathways

Reaching the ‘transfer gate’ spells college success

Nearly two-thirds of Black students who attend college in California begin their postsecondary journey at a community college. But it’s clear they’re not getting the support they need—more than 60 percent leave school without a degree or certificate and without transferring to a university.

Wendy SedlakNov. 21, 2022

Kathy Huffman

Research and Evaluation

“Invisible” catalysts get lasting results for adult students

Catalysts for change often work quietly, but their results speak loud and clear. At education organizations, they’re the people who build strong relationships across stakeholders, support and empower others to design and drive the work, and embrace a “student first” orientation to center students’ needs and aspirations over institutions’.

Wendy Sedlak Nov. 3, 2022

The house of power imbalance.

Federal Policy

We all benefit from diversity in college admissions—Let’s not go backward now

Oral arguments before the Supreme Court at the end of this month will provide a dramatic setting for the national debate over the fairness of race-conscious admissions in higher education.

Jamie Merisotis Oct. 28, 2022

Featured Podcast

Communications

Understanding Public Narratives About Workforce and Higher Education

Dakota PawlickiOct. 27, 2022

Terri Taylor

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Terri Taylor

Taylor leads the foundation’s efforts to develop new strategies to respond to the increasingly common question, education for what?

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Racial Justice and Equity

Higher ed groups offer bold ideas for ensuring racial equity as SCOTUS takes up new admissions case

The U.S. Supreme Court roiled the higher education community by agreeing to hear cases against the race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, with arguments likely to come in the fall. Significant resources and attention will now go toward defending these policies and reminding the Court of several decades of…

Terri TaylorFeb. 1, 2022

Student Supports

New hope for college students with ‘stranded’ transcripts

Ever started pulling at a string on a sweater and ended up with a fistful of yarn? That’s how I’ve felt while going into a deeper understanding of how and why holds are placed on a student’s transcript or enrollment and the impact that it has on students. But untangling these complexities is essential for…

Terri TaylorDec. 8, 2021

Federal Policy

College students could see ‘generational’ benefit from pandemic support - if we do this right

Federal emergency dollars for colleges and universities provide a generational opportunity – not only to respond to the pandemic, but to reimagine how institutions support current and prospective students. This is especially true for those who know that college can be helpful but aren’t sure how to fit it into their complex lives.

Terri TaylorMay 12, 2021

Racial Justice and Equity

Knowing the numbers on student borrowers of color doesn’t mean you understand the problem.

Anyone who pays attention to higher education policy should know by now the outsized debt burdens shouldered by Black, Hispanic or Latino, and Native American students. And yet we haven’t yet moved from admiring the problem to implementing solutions, in part because the space has been dominated by white policy experts (who are, frankly, like…

Terri TaylorMarch 3, 2021

State Policy

Post-COVID: Building the better education system that we’ve long needed

“Don’t waste a crisis” is wise advice that can be hard to remember when you’re actually living through one. And right now, our national response to COVID-19 is a mess.

Jamie Merisotis, Terri TaylorApril 8, 2020

Quality Assurance

Lumina announces grants to 9 states to advance quality and equity

Lumina Foundation is supporting efforts in nine states as part of a new national grant program to help develop next-generation approaches to higher-education quality assurance and improvement.

Debra Humphreys, Terri TaylorFeb. 20, 2020

Affordability

Ten questions for the income-share agreement debate

Though still in their infancy, income-share agreements (ISAs) already have many skeptics as well as defenders. Continued discussion and debate are needed to ensure the best outcomes, especially for students. But what exactly should we be discussing?

Elizabeth Garlow, Terri TaylorAug. 13, 2019

Federal Policy

Do income-share agreements actually work to hold down college costs? We’re finding out.

This summer marks the third anniversary of year-round Pell grants, where students can receive extra Pell funding to enroll in summer classes and complete their programs faster. Summer Pell is a critical resource, but it doesn’t begin to solve all of the affordability issues facing today’s students, including federal aid restrictions for many student populations,…

Terri Taylor, Elizabeth GarlowJuly 18, 2019

Adult Pathways

College finances: Going back to school complicated for some adults

We celebrate the idea that earning a bachelor’s degree results in an average of $1 million in additional lifetime income. But future earnings don’t mean much when you’re a student struggling to make rent, pay for tuition, and cover all your other expenses.

Terri TaylorSept. 21, 2018

Federal Policy

Raising student voices in federal discussions on education and training

Lumina is launching a new effort to elevate student voices in federal policy conversations about education beyond high school by partnering with organizations with strong national networks of students.

Terri TaylorJune 8, 2018