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

A Growing Number of States Are Spending Less on Public College Students. This Chart Shows How Much  In fact, only six states spend more now on a per-student basis than they did in 2008, and total per-student funding in 2017 is actually $2,000 lower, in real dollars, than before the 2001 dot-com crash, according to the report, published by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. (Time)

Summer Counseling Intervention Report   Summer counseling is designed to help college-intending high school graduates complete the steps needed to enroll in college and start their college careers. The authors analyzed five empirical studies of the effectiveness of summer counseling. In the domain of credit accumulation and persistence (i.e. staying in college), the one study reporting findings in this domain found the positive effect of summer counseling to be statistically significant, but not substantively important because the small magnitude of the effect. In the domain of college access and enrollment, all five studies reported findings. The effect was positive and statistically significant in one study, positive and substantively important in one study, and indeterminate in the three other studies. (What Works Clearinghouse)

Relevance and Perceptions of Higher Education   People are much more likely to have positive perceptions about the value and quality of their college experience when they feel their college courses are relevant to their work and daily lives, according to the results of a survey conducted by Strada Education Network and Gallup. (Inside Higher Ed)

Tuition Grows in Importance  Annual report on public higher education finance shows more states relying more heavily on tuition, even in a year when appropriations rose nationally.

Equity Gaps in College Spending  Education spending for students of color who attend public colleges in the United States trails spending on white students by an average of more than $1,000 per year, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress. Nationwide, the aggregate spending gap is roughly $5 billion per year.

Addressing needs of underserved students requires myriad perspectives  Higher education institutions have a particular mission of “becom[ing] much broader in our participation and be willing to answer the difficult, sticky questions we have in our society,” Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, reminded industry leaders at the American Council on Education conference this month. Part of being in the industry, he said during his ACE lifetime achievement award speech, is staying committed to the ideal of raising up the most downtrodden parts of society by making an education accessible.

Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys  Racism is more than income inequality. Black boys raised in million dollar income family homes have similar outcomes to white boys raised in homes with $36K in family income.

Equity Gaps in College Spending  Education spending for students of color who attend public colleges in the United States trails spending on white students by an average of more than $1,000 per year, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress. (Inside Higher Ed) 

Even if They Want to Go to College, Millions of Adults Live in Higher Education “Deserts”  At least 25 miles from the nearest campus, they also don’t have internet speeds to study online. (Hechinger Report)

Transfer students start getting more of the credits they’ve already earned  Pushed by enrollment slump and political pressure, colleges lower barriers to transfer.

Report illustrates vulnerability of first-generation college students  A new paper from KnowledgeWorks explores four possible scenarios of education changemaking and raises strategic considerations for education changemakers and other stakeholders to explore as they navigate the myriad ways they or others might seek to influence American public education. “The time is ripe to look ahead and examine both the course we are presently on and the ways in which the landscape of U.S. education changemaking could shift depending on how influencers engage in their work and what approaches gain most prominence over the coming decade.”

University of Alabama’s gain is a loss for Illinois  A growing wave of Illinois high school seniors, lured in part by generous financial perks, are leaving their home state for college. The number of Illinois freshman students enrolling in universities outside the state has jumped 73 percent since 2000, according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Alabama has emerged as an unexpected hot spot. (Chicago Tribune)

Presidents Back Free Speech  The poll follows a recent poll by Gallup and the Knight Foundation that found college students value a diverse and inclusive environment more than free speech. (Inside Higher Ed)