A new report from the Urban Institute contends that a federal-state partnership to fund higher education could help address ongoing equity gaps, but whether such a program achieves policymakers’ goals depends on the details. The study specifically looks at college affordability proposals—including those for free or debt-free college—and examines who would benefit from different plans and how the distribution…

A new report from Ithaka S+R offers four recommendations to help states make higher education funding more equitable and cost effective in a time of financial upheaval. Among the report's suggestions: prioritizing education funding, targeting investments to prioritize equity in access and outcomes, raising new revenues and building partnerships, and improving efficiency and equity of existing resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the global and U.S. economy more profoundly than any other event since World War II. Just as the subprime mortgage crisis ushered in an 18-month economic decline and an ensuing state budget crisis, the current economic slide threatens to leave us in an even larger fiscal hole. The Great Recession…

The economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic compel us to forge new pathways to high-quality credentials. Such pathways can provide short-term learning aligned to in-demand jobs, helping individuals return to work as soon as possible while offering clear routes to further learning in the future.

While final enrollment numbers for this fall are still unclear, states and institutions can anticipate shifts in enrollment and transfer patterns for different student populations. To maximize higher education’s potential as a pathway to economic recovery—and to make good on the promise of equitable opportunity for all students—policymakers must respond in ways that address students’…

California’s community college system is directing attention and resources at improving student pathways through community college and into four-year colleges. This study from the Public Policy Institute of California examines trends in transfer, describes current reforms, and sheds light on what can be expected if recent reforms prove successful.

A report from National Skills Coalition provides a roadmap for state policymakers and skills advocates to support businesses and their efforts to upskill workers for a changing economy.

A new report from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education calls on the nation’s governors to chart a long-range strategy that stimulates the economy, avoids the boom-and-bust cycle of funding colleges, and avoids mistakes that have left many students behind.

While the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis have been ubiquitous, they have affected certain places and people disproportionately. Many communities had yet to fully recover from the last recession before the onset of the current downturn. Likewise, the explosion of recent protests around the country has highlighted the dire disparities of access…

Dual enrollment programs, in which high school students enroll in college courses, have gained traction nationally in the past two decades, but Idaho’s “Advanced Opportunities” initiative has been particularly successful. This report from the Manhattan Institute describes the mechanics, origin, and institutional effects of Idaho’s initiative—and why it may be a useful model for policy…