Here are some new resources and news for the field of higher education.

Postsecondary education expectations and attainment of rural and non-rural students  This study examines the postsecondary education expectations, attainment, and realization of expectations as well as reasons for not expecting to pursue postsecondary education among rural and non-rural grade 10 students in the Midwest region. (Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory at American Institutes for Research)

Students Concerned About Governors State Tuition Increase, Program Cuts  On Monday, Governors State officials said they will eliminate over a dozen degree programs and hike tuition 15 percent in the fall to cope with the state’s budget standoff. How will these cuts impact students? (Daily Southtown)

Tuition Assistance Programs for Foster Youth Pursuing Postsecondary Education serves as a tool to better understand the state-level support for this vulnerable student population and provides a guidepost for possible policy redesign. An accompanying interactive data visualization provides an in-depth look at tuition assistance programs available in specific states and the number of foster youth in care.

TN – Survey Reveals Why It’s So Hard for Adults to Go Back to College A first-of-its-kind survey released Monday is offering a glimpse into the realities of going back to college as a working adult, one that officials hope will lead to policies that boost student success. (Tennessean, March 6)

Report on Adult-Serving Colleges and Alternative Credentials The 30-page report, which was released today by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), the Presidents’ Forum and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), seeks to shed light on how colleges with a deep background in prior learning assessments are dealing with new and emerging forms of credentials. (Inside Higher Ed, March 6)

Measuring Adversity  The College Board has just finished the first two pilots of a system—the Environmental Context Dashboard—that is designed to help colleges be more precise when deciding who deserves that edge. (Inside Higher Ed, February 28)

Editorial: Why Must Illinois Win the Battle for MAP Grants?  Many elected officials in Springfield have expressed strong support for Illinois’ MAP grant program. So why are students of modest means unsure of whether they will have the Monetary Assistance Program grants they need to go to Illinois institutions? (Dispatch-Argus)

What We Know About Technology-Mediated Advising Reform  This set of reports summarizes the Community College Research Center’s s research on technology-mediated advising reform, and discusses how community colleges and open-access four-year institutions are attempting to use this type of reform—sometimes called e-advising or iPASS (Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success)—to transform advising systems so that they can support a more intensive and personalized case-management model. (Community College Research Center)

How Well Does High School GPA Predict College Performance by Student Urbanicity and Timing of College Entry? This report is a companion to a study that found that high school grade point average was a stronger predictor of performance in college-level English and math than were standardized exam scores among first-time students at the University of Alaska who enrolled directly in college-level courses. This report examines how well high school grade point average and standardized exam scores predict college grades by the urbanicity of students’ hometown and timing of college entry.  (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory at Education Northwest)

Hungry and Unable to Complete  A report released today by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab and the Association of Community College Trustees reveals that many community college students are dealing with a lack of basic needs. (Inside Higher Ed, March 15)

Postsecondary education expectations and attainment of rural and non-rural students  This study examined rural/non-rural differences in postsecondary educational expectations and the attainment of expectations for grade 10 students attending rural and non-rural high schools in the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest region and how these differences compare with rural/non-rural differences in the rest of the nation. Policymakers and other stakeholders in Midwestern states and the rest of the nation can use the results of this study to inform efforts to improve the educational attainment of rural students.

Spring 2017 Enrollment Snapshot  IBHE posted a spring enrollment snapshot that shows that enrollment at Illinois’ public universities is down, largely due to undergraduate enrollment but that graduate enrollment remains steady