Here are some new resources and news for the field of higher education.
Google Curriculum, College Credit Google made its first substantial foray into postsecondary education in January, with the creation of a new online certificate program aimed at people who are interested in working in entry-level IT support roles. (Inside Higher Ed)
Math Pathways: Expanding Options for Success in College Math This report, released in collaboration with the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness, explains a new model of college math education that has come to be called math pathways. Three prominent examples of math pathways – with research evidence on their effectiveness – are included.
If ‘Free College’ Sounds Too Good To Be True, That’s Because It Often Is More than a dozen states now offer grants, often called scholarships, promising to help qualifying students pay for some or all of their college education. (NPR)
Federal Dollars to For-Profit Colleges Must Remain the Exception, Not the Rule On September 13, TCF senior fellow Robert Shireman submitted the following comment in response to the DeVos Education Department’s proposal to allow for-profit higher education companies to draw direct funding from the federal government. In his commentary, Shireman outlines the original intention of the Higher Education Act in allowing such allocations only as exceptions, and explains how throwing that door wide open dismantles one of the Act’s chief protections of both student borrowers and taxpayers’ money.
Change is on the way for the College Scorecard In its current state, the College Scorecard is not very useful for low-income students
IL – ‘College Completion Crisis’ Spurs Pledge to end Racial, Income Grad Gaps by 2025 Sixty percent of college students from Illinois graduate with an associate’s in three years or bachelor’s degree in six years, according to state data. But a student’s race and family income are key factors in whether a student will be part of that 60 percent. (Chicago Sun-Times)
WV – Higher Education Feels Impact of Fewer Enrolled Teaching Students As fewer and fewer high school students choose teaching as a career, the impact on higher education is being felt locally. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
AZ Seeks to Increase Number of Students Filling out FAFSA The state has concerns less than 50 percent of college eligible Arizona students fill out the form. Numerous organizations hope to help increase that percentage to above 50 percent. (Payson Roundup)
Lawmakers Get First Look at New ‘Outcomes-Based’ Funding Formula for ID Higher Ed The formula would provide payoffs to higher education institutions based on the number of students who graduate with degrees or certificates. (Idaho Press)
Online Portal Connects OH’s Industry, Higher Education Innovators The new Ohio Innovation Exchange is meant to be a “one-stop shop” for businesses curious about resources, research, equipment, and expertise that might be available to them in Ohio at the state’s academic institutions. (Columbus Dispatch)
Falling Confidence in Higher Ed Gallup finds unusually large drop – primarily but not exclusively among Republicans – between 2015 and 2018.
Five ways to boost community college completion rates Community colleges can play a pivotal role in providing individuals with viable pathways into the American middle class, maintaining a strong workforce, and building a competitive 21st-century economy. Delivering on this promise requires innovative solutions to increase the number of community college students who complete a postsecondary credential or degree.
Improving community college completion rates by addressing structural and motivational barriers Many community college students in the U.S. do not complete a credential or degree, facing dramatically reduced earning potential. However, evidence suggests that helping students navigate the college environment and connect their coursework to their lives can help solve the community college completion puzzle. In this report, Elizabeth Mann Levesque discusses the structural and motivational barriers these students face, potential solutions, and offers policy recommendations to boost completion rates.
MT Vote Becomes a National Referendum on Public Confidence in Higher Ed Montana residents are alone in the nation in being required to weigh in every 10 years on whether to allot a portion of their property taxes to support their public universities and colleges. (Hechinger Report)
Colleges Where Pell Grant Recipients Do Best and Worst at Paying Down Their Student Loans Pell Grant recipients were slower over all in paying back their student loans than were students who did not receive Pell Grants. But at a dozen four-year colleges, the story is different.
