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

New Research Shows Latinos Closing the Racial Gap on College Degrees, But Still Lagging Far Behind Whites     Big differences in graduation rates persist, depending on the institution. (Hechinger Report)

TN Board of Regents Approves ‘Warranty’ Policy for Technical Colleges  The Tennessee Board of Regents approved a new policy that will allow graduates of technical college programs to go back to school if they fail state or national licensing exams within one year of graduating. The “warranty” policy, unanimously approved by the board, also guarantees that if employers feel recent graduates’ skills are not up to par, they can go back to the school and get re-trained for free. (Knox News)

Have you heard about Illinois’ 60 by 25 goal?  It’s the state’s goal to increase the proportion of adults in Illinois with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60% by the year 2025.  Many communities and organizations have joined the effort to reach the 60 by 25 goal, but there is still more work to be done! What can you do? Join Illinois’ 60 by 25 Network at their fifth annual conference on February 6-7, 2018 in Bloomington, IL. They will be diving into strategies to advance equity within Illinois communities and achieve the 60 by 25 goal. You can expect to hear about challenges and success stories, exchange best-practices, and find opportunities to collaborate. Guest speakers include State Superintendent of Schools, Tony Smith, and other school officials, business leaders, and national partners. You won’t want to miss it!

Tuition Assistance Programs for Foster Youth Pursuing Postsecondary Education  This 50-State Review 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.

Return of the Near-Completers: State progress with adult students  As we all know, many states continue to push for increased attainment rates aligned with state workforce needs. In the quest to increase attainment, many states began focusing on the near-completer population to help adults return to higher education for credential completion. However, this population proves to be difficult to reach and comes with barriers to returning including financial roadblocks, full-time work schedules and campus accessibility. In response to these barriers, some states introduced policies and programs to ease the transition back to higher education and increase accessibility for this student population. A few state examples include Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.