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

States’ Slow, Steady Embrace of Need-Based Aid  Amount of state financial aid dollars awarded based on financial need grew by 3 percent in most recent year, and by half over a decade, annual study finds.

Need-Based State Financial Aid  This Policy Snapshot explores need-based state financial aid programs across the country and highlights state financial aid program examples, grant and scholarship expenditure amounts, and recent legislative activity.

VA Colleges Issued More Degrees Than Ever Last Year  The state’s higher education strategic plan calls for 1.5 million degrees and workforce credentials between 2014 and 2030, improving the percentage of Virginians with a workforce credential or degree after high school from 51 percent to 70 percent. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

UMaine System’s ‘Early College’ Programming for High School Students Surges 23 Percent  As part of their strategic effort to keep Maine students here at home and to address critical workforce shortages Maine’s universities are providing high school students with the opportunity to explore and prepare for high-opportunity Maine careers with new certificate programs. (Mainebiz)

Momentum for Prison Education  As the U.S. labor force requires more people with college degrees and certificates, some colleges and states consider incarcerated people a largely untapped work-force resource that could help increase educational attainment rates overall. (Inside Higher Ed)

State Information Request: Evaluating Educator Preparation Programs  A State Higher Education Executive Officer requested information on how states evaluate educator preparation programs. The response included an overview of state evaluation systems, including specific state examples, and research on best practices.

STEM Dual Enrollment: Model Policy Components  This Special Report by Jennifer Zinth outlines state-level policy components that help ensure dual enrollment programs in science, technology, engineering and math are broadly accessible, particularly to students traditionally underrepresented in STEM courses.

Tuition-Setting in Postsecondary Education  This Policy Snapshot gives a national perspective on tuition-setting authority in 2018, as well as a sampling of recently proposed legislation related to tuition setting.

Postsecondary Tuition Capping and Freezing  This Policy Snapshot provides a national perspective on approaches states are taking to structure their tuition and fee control policies, including a sampling of recent legislation related to tuition capping and freezing.

Mission Critical: Supporting Military Families in Transition  Sharmila Mann outlines a new push to encourage states to examine the quality of schools and the reciprocity of professional licenses for military families.

Policy Strategies for Pursuing Adequate Funding of Community Colleges  Community colleges play a key role in providing access to higher education, serving as a pathway to economic mobility, but to do so effectively, they need adequate funding.  The Century Foundation takes a systematic look at the need for community college funding reform, including a look at barriers and opportunities for aligning resources to support student needs, and finishing up with recommendations for changes that the state and federal government can consider.

What a Divided Congress Means for Higher Education    Democrats’ takeover of the U.S. House promises tougher scrutiny of DeVos and the Education Department. Donna Shalala is among those elected to U.S. House.

Income Share Agreements: An Old Idea Made New, But Necessity to Protect Students Remains  Sarah Pingel looks at developments in ISAs – a new kind of partnership to pay for postsecondary education – and includes examples of state legislation.

Universities Team Up on Completion  Public university group brings together 130 universities and systems in 16 “clusters” that will seek to improve student access and completion while curbing equity gaps. (Inside Higher Ed)

Improving Research on Career and Technical Education Programs  AIR will lead a new federally-funded network designed to increase the evidence base on Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and train the next generation of researchers to investigate this important topic. The CTE Research Network is funded through a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences.

The Summer Pell Bump  More Pell Grant recipients attended community colleges last summer, survey finds, after the federal government reinstated eligibility for year-round grants. (Inside Higher Ed)

Winning the Global War for Talent, and Beyond  Internationalization of campuses is no longer just a nice thing to do. It is absolutely necessary, argues James Applegate.