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

University, Science, Business Leaders Release Congressional Progress Report

A coalition of 500 research universities, scientific organizations and businesses released a progress report on a call for Congress and White House to support and improve innovation. (Inside Higher Ed)

5 Best Practices for Boosting Completion 

Using IPEDs data, the report shows that almost 600 of the nation’s approximately 3,000 four-year campuses report that less than one-third of their freshmen earned a four-year bachelor’s degree in six years. (Education Dive)

Lumina awards racial justice and equity grants totaling $1.6 million 

Lumina Foundation announced that 19 colleges and universities will receive grant awards totaling $625,000 from its Fund for Racial Justice and Equity, a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The Fund was created after last year’s racially motivated violence in Charlottesville on the campus of the University of Virginia.  Illinois Central College in Peoria is an award recipient in the highly competitive new program.

Report urges adoption of ‘demand driven education’

A new report repeats a familiar call for higher education to better train graduates with the skills employers need but also makes a series of recommendations about how institutions can initiate such “demand driven education”, which it claims will be the third wave of higher education reform.

New Data on the Impact of Undergraduate Research 

A new study says that undergraduate research contributes to success in careers in the sciences, technology, engineering, and math. (Inside Higher Ed)

What Exactly Do We Mean by “Career Pathways?”

Career and technical education (CTE) programs have made strides to shed the stigma of vocational education and added more pathways aligned with middle and higher wage careers. (Excel In Ed)

The State of Higher Education Equity 

As others have expanded access to higher education, we’ve stagnated. Why? It’s because the 7,000 colleges and universities across our states and territories still aren’t doing a good enough job getting Black and Latino Americans — whose population numbers are on the rise — across the finish line.  (The Education Trust)

Student Social and Emotional Learning Explored at Gathering 

Although in its infancy, SEL demonstrates great potential to boost the success and well-being of students from elementary school to post-graduate school, particularly low-income, first-generation and other groups underrepresented among the ranks of college graduates, according to about 50 participants in a three-day conference co-presented by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Austria-based Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS). (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

Moving Beyond College Completion

Since its creation in 2000, the Lumina Foundation has focused almost entirely on college completion. But the foundation has now added racial justice and equity as a priority. (Inside Higher Ed)

Study: Teacher Expertise Increases Students’ College Success 

Postsecondary success could be linked to teacher enthusiasm and passion for the subject matter. (eSchool News)

Online Options Give Adults Access, but Outcomes Lag

Using newly available federal and state-by-state data, an analyst explores states’ embrace of fully online learning and whether it drives adult students’ access and success. (Inside Higher Ed)

College Students: Read the Fine Print in the MAP Bill 

Illinois has struggled for decades to persuade high school graduates to stay in-state for college. The recent two-year budget impasse only made things worse. Now, a group of lawmakers has a plan to reverse the trend, starting with the state’s Monetary Award Program. (NPR Illinois)

Better Alignment Needed Between College Training, Jobs

Researchers for the Gallup-Purdue Index, who have been surveying recent college graduates annually since 2013 and who developed a list of six undergraduate experiences that lead to success in the workforce, report that only about 30 percent of graduates surveyed strongly agree with that they graduated with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the job market, and that only half of current students believe their major will lead to a good job. (Education Dive)

Defining and Delivering on Quality in Higher Education 

The Quality Assurance Commons (QA Commons) offers a new approach, helping institutions design programs of study to ensure better outcomes for more students — and certifying programs that are well designed and have successful track records in attending to issues of employability of their graduates.

High School Grads Want Job Skills Next, Survey Shows

A new report from the College Savings Foundation (CSF) finds that 81 percent of high school students in its survey seek skills training, and an increasing number are considering technical schools and community colleges. (Education Dive)