The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) approved the first nationally registered K-12 Teacher Apprenticeship Program in January 2022, opening the door to a rapidly growing pathway for prospective teachers. DOL approved Arkansas' registered teacher apprenticeship program in November 2022, and has now approved registered teacher apprenticeships in more…

In the United States, there is a significant need for higher education institutions to provide adult degree completion programs (ADCP) to help students complete their degrees. According to the National Student Clearing House Research Center, as of July 2021, there are 41 million students with some college, no credentials (SCNC), in the United…

In response to rising college tuition and student debt over the past three decades, some institutions, localities, and states have implemented a range of tuition-free promise programs to promote college access and success. Programs vary widely in their design features, including eligibility stipulations and award structure. I explore the growing…

Performance funding policies for higher education allocate appropriations to public institutions based on student outcomes such as degree completions. This study investigates whether a special science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) incentive in 13 state performance funding policies leads to greater undergraduate degree…

The research centers on the practices that exemplary community colleges, universities, and transfer partnerships used to achieve relatively strong transfer and bachelor's attainment outcomes overall and specifically for low-income, Black, and Hispanic students. Based on their findings, the authors present a practical framework for achieving better…

This study probed the predictive effects of accelerated college credits over and above the predictive effects of FAFSA EFC index number, sex, and first-generation status on baccalaureate outcomes on first-time college students. A hierarchical multiple regression on 2,817 students who graduated from a private university in central Arkansas was…

This study examined the six-year bachelor's degree graduation status of freshmen (N = 1,839) entering the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (AFLS) between 2001 and 2010. The overall graduation rate was 64%, including 23% who had transferred out of AFLS. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine if student…

A college degree is increasingly vital for career mobility and economic success as more employers are requiring greater levels of education and credentials. For more than 150 years, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a leading role in graduating black students and have made significant contributions to the workforce…

The El Dorado Promise program is a universal, first dollar Promise program that guarantees a full tuition scholarship to students who attend the El Dorado School District from grades K-12, and a partial scholarship for those enrolled for at least 9th through 12th grade. We use a difference-indifferences framework to examine the impact of the El…

Community colleges provide access, preparation and pathways to the four year institution. Transfer students from community colleges are deeply embedded in the higher education system though many have to face the issues of being academically unprepared, varying expectations of the transfer institution, and the stigma of being a transfer student.…

The purpose of this report on Arkansas STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program activity is to inform education and policy makers about the need to prepare and graduate more students with degrees in STEM related fields as defined by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Arkansas is witnessing a significant…

In 2012, five foundations launched the Credit When Its Due (CWID) initiative that was "designed to encourage partnerships of community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor's…

In this article, the debate over the community college baccalaureate is placed in the context of both political culture and the history of public education. Bachelor's degree programs are discussed from the standpoint of their contribution to civic life, and a case is made that academically-inclined colleges are crucial to fostering a public…

In higher education in the state of Arkansas, two courses are considered to be gateway courses to obtaining a college degree--College Algebra and English Composition I. While students may obtain Certificates of Proficiency and Technical Certificates without taking these courses, few, if any, can earn an Associate's or Bachelor's degree without…

The purpose of this report on Arkansas STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program activity is to inform education and policy makers about the need to prepare and graduate more students with degrees in STEM related fields as defined by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Arkansas is witnessing a significant…