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

Study: Students Leaving Illinois to Pursue Out of State Education  A report by the Illinois Board of Higher Education shows that more and more students in Illinois are choosing to leave the state to get their college degrees elsewhere. (WGEM)

The New, Improved IPEDS   The Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics unwraps a revision of the IPEDS database that will expand the government’s tools for measuring postsecondary outcomes, especially for the students who, for lack of a better term, are frequently called “nontraditional” (even though they now outnumber the “traditional” 18- to 22-year-olds). (Inside Higher Ed)

October is College Changes Everything Month  Since the FAFSA will be available at the same time students will be completing their college applications, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is launching College Changes Everything® (CCE) Month—essentially combining the activities of College Application Month and Financial Aid Awareness Month. During CCE Month, ISAC will offer support for both college application activities and FAFSA completion. (Illinois Student Assistance Commission)

More Scrutiny for Community Colleges  Community college systems are finding they’re under more scrutiny than ever before, especially when it comes to whether their students complete programs and graduate. (Inside Higher Ed)

State-Funded Student Aid Holds Steady  The split between need-based and non-need-based grants remained the same year over year in 2015-16. (Inside Higher Ed)

Policymakers, Education Organizations Increase Focus on STEM Graduates in the Workforce  Both policymakers and educational organizations are increasingly investing resources in building out the STEM graduate to industry pathway. (Education Dive)

The Promise (and Perils) of Student Placement Reform: A toolkit for the use of multiple measures  This Ed Note blog post comes from Mark Duffy, senior research associate, and Kate Shaw, executive director, both at Research for Action, and provides an overview of reforms and a toolkit designed to assist students with post-secondary success and college readiness.

The Decline of the Midwest’s Public Universities Threatens to Wreck Its Economies  Many flagship Midwestern research universities are being weakened by deep state budget cuts. Threats to pensions and tenure portend an exodus of faculty and their all-important research funding, and have already resulted in a frenzy of poaching by better-funded and higher-paying private institutions, industry, and international competitors. What are the impacts of these changes on the economy? (The Atlantic)

Curriculum for Work-Force Development  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation released a new curriculum it hopes employers, government and higher education can use to better collaborate on closing the skills gap. (Inside Higher Ed)

 ‘Blueprint’ for Federal Student-Level Data System  The Institute for Higher Education Policy issued a set of recommendations on the nuts and bolts of creating a federal postsecondary student-level data system. (Inside Higher Ed)

‘Targeted and Tailored’ Strategies Needed to Close Achievement Gaps  The all-too-familiar narrative of racial and ethnic gaps in educational attainment will persist well into the 21st century unless “targeted and tailored” strategies are implemented for various underrepresented groups. That is the message of a forthcoming Educational Testing Service (ETS) report titled “Challenges and Opportunities in Achieving the National Postsecondary Degree Attainment Goals.” (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

Seeking Support: State financial aid programs and adult students  This policy analysis discusses the unique challenges of adult students and related considerations when crafting adult-inclusive aid policies.

Expectations, Race and College Success  Study suggests high school teachers’ attitudes are not colorblind and influence who succeeds in higher education. (Inside Higher Ed)

50-State Comparison: Adult Inclusion in State Financial Aid Policies  Most state financial aid programs don’t account for the unique circumstances of adult learners, who comprise two in five college students, and could be inadvertently shutting these students out of postsecondary opportunities. This resource shows the two largest state financial aid programs for every state and breaks down the eligibility requirements and qualifications necessary to receive aid.

Attainment Goals and Plans  By 2020, 65 percent of job vacancies are projected to require education beyond high school, reinforcing the need to increase the number of Americans with college credentials. This policy snapshot provides summary information for 2017 legislation related to attainment goals and plans, as well as policy actions from previous years.

Education Pays 2016: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society Education Pays is a companion piece to the annual Trends in College Pricing and Trends in Student Aid that documents the ways in which both individuals and society benefit from increased levels of education. The report examines differences in the earnings and employment patterns of U.S. adults with different levels of education, compares health-related behaviors, reliance on public assistance programs, civic participation and indicators of the well-being of the next generation. Additionally, the report examines the increases and persistent disparities across demographic groups in college participation and completion.

College Promise Programs Continue to Grow  The College Promise movement — which focuses on providing a free community college education to qualifying students — continues to gain traction, according to an annual update from the two-year-old College Promise Campaign. Over the past year, more than 50 new College Promise programs were announced or created in small communities, large cities and states, according to the report. (Community College Daily)