Modeling the spread of COVID-19 on college campuses
Last fall, in partnership with Mathematica, the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) used agent-based modeling to inform its on-campus reopening decisions amid the pandemic. On this episode of On the Evidence, guests Ravi Goyal and Natasha Martin share lessons from using the model to predict the spread of COVID-19 in a university setting. Goyal is a senior statistician at Mathematica and an expert on epidemic modeling. Martin is an infectious disease economic modeler and an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UC San Diego.
State higher ed funding for next year looks like a mixed bag
Many states slashed higher education funding last year, fearing the pandemic would torpedo state revenues. The higher education sector, no stranger to steep cuts during economic recessions, braced for further budget reductions in the 2022 fiscal year. But many public higher education officials’ worst fears have not been realized — at least not yet, experts say. Governors’ proposed state budgets are a mixed bag, with several states pushing to increase higher education funding or at least restore last year’s cuts.
Would canceling student debt promote racial equity?
Ashley Harrington is among the many people who see canceling student debt as an issue of racial justice. For many Black Americans, centuries of discrimination have led to white people having much more wealth than Black people, she and others say. So when it comes time for students to go to college, Black families are much less likely than white families to have the money to help pay for their children’s education. As a result, Black students are more likely to have to borrow for college. And they have to borrow more.
Claiming a louder life: Part I
Although 13.4 percent of the population of the United States is African American or Black, Black people do not currently occupy an equally representative percentage within the fields of physics and astronomy, and that trend persists across all levels of the academic hierarchy. To take physics as an example: in 2018, African Americans earned just 3 percent of the physics bachelor’s degrees in the United States — a smaller percentage than that in 1994 (just over 4 percent). Similarly, during the 2016-17 academic year, of the 1,862 total doctorates earned in physics, fewer than 16 were earned by African Americans.
Aid application data portend dip in low-income, minority students
Last spring, as college and university officials fretted about how the global pandemic and associated recession might affect enrollment in the fall, troubling news emerged in the form of data about declines in the number of current college students who had resubmitted their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. As of May, renewals were down by about 5 percent — higher among minority students and those from low-income backgrounds, suggesting that the most traditionally vulnerable students were far likelier to be deterred from continuing their educations.
Interest surges in top colleges, while struggling ones scrape for applicants
Prestigious universities like Cornell never have a hard time attracting students. But this year, the admissions office in Ithaca, N.Y., is swimming in 17,000 more applications than it has ever received before, driven mostly by the school’s decision not to require standardized test scores during the coronavirus pandemic. But while selective universities like Cornell and its fellow Ivy League schools have seen unprecedented interest after waiving test scores, smaller and less recognizable schools are dealing with the opposite issue: empty mailboxes.
New study raises questions about benefits of text messaging to increase college enrollment among students from low-income backgrounds
Despite the promise of text-based messaging as a behavioral nudge strategy, a new study illustrates the limitations of this approach in helping low-income and first-generation students enroll and persist in college. At the same time, it adds to the body of evidence testing new, low-cost ways of supporting college completion for this population. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a U.S. Department of Education college preparation program that is available to states and school districts. The study evaluated the efficacy of sending GEAR UP students 37 text messages customized to their college and including the option to communicate with an advisor. Although the messaging did not increase enrollment or persistence, the evaluation provides some guidance on messaging strategies that may be more effective.
Policy solutions that foster competency-based learning
This Policy Brief identifies opportunities for states to maximize this year’s virtual or hybrid environments to tailor learning and instruction for students. It draws on seven core elements for personalized, competency-based learning. This brief, authored by KnowledgeWorks, is part of a series, titled Equitable Transitions Through Pandemic Disruptions.
Where states are boosting or slashing higher ed funding amid the pandemic
Many states slashed higher education funding last year, fearing the pandemic would torpedo state revenues. The higher education sector, no stranger to steep cuts during economic recessions, braced for further budget reductions in the 2022 fiscal year. But many public higher education officials’ worst fears have not been realized — at least not yet, experts say. Governors’ proposed state budgets are a mixed bag, with several states pushing to increase higher education funding or at least restore last year’s cuts.
Colleges adopt degree auditing platform to keep students on track
The higher education software developer CollegeSource on Wednesday announced that two community colleges will adopt its degree auditing platform in the hope of reducing excess credits for transferring students and expediting the path to graduation. Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico and Ozarks Technology Community College in Springfield, Missouri, are each planning implementations of the company’s uAcheive platform to automate various aspects of degree auditing and academic planning. Through “tailored reports” that outline student progress, along with “robust transfer articulation,” advisers can ensure students have selected their most direct route to graduation.
How multiple graduation pathways do—and do not—signal readiness for college and careers
During the past several years, policymakers have updated high school graduation requirements to increase students’ preparation for postsecondary education and the workforce. At the same time, they have recognized that increases in the rigor of these requirements may require greater flexibility in how students demonstrate that they are prepared for postsecondary opportunities. This Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) report provides state policymakers and advocates with an analysis of the various graduation pathways currently in effect. It also offers recommendations to help lawmakers and others focus graduation pathway policies on equity and excellence.
