The "Building Bridges Graduation" honors the cultural and familial importance of Transfronterizx [Transborder] students' achievements. Hosting graduations across the border reflects a deep institutional commitment to inclusion, equity, and the generational success of these students. This initiative expands opportunities for historically…

For many higher education institutions, certifying degree completion is both challenging and time consuming. Depending on the size of the institution, graduation processing can take multiple staff days to complete. In an age of limited staffing, registrars must leverage technology to handle these increasing workloads. Such was the case with a…

The State University of Iowa held inaugural commencement practices in 1857--a mere eleven years after Iowa became a state. The flagship, now named the University of Iowa (UI), has a long and storied commencement history. Commencements have been cancelled. They have been postponed. They have been displaced. But they have never been virtual…until…

This chapter describes the role microcredentials can play within the context of guided pathways and degree completion, illustrated through three case studies of community colleges and systems.

TICAS' [The Institute for College Access & Success'] latest fact sheet provides five proven examples of evidence-based college completion programs at four-year public institutions that increase persistence, graduation rates, and student earnings upon graduation for low-income, first-generation, and students of color.

Decades of research suggests that supportive faculty communication improves student retention and progression; however, most communication interventions occurred at on-site universities and were implemented briefly in one or several courses. In this article, we describe the outcomes of a consistent, personalized student outreach program…

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Public School System, requested information about alternative assessment evaluation, including detail on performance and competency-based assessment. In response, this high-level scan from the Region 19 Comprehensive Center identifies example tools and measures along with key resources and references. Also…

Graduating from college is a challenge, particularly for low-income students and students who are older, have children, or have jobs. Such students oen face personal, institutional, and structural barriers to success. Two of the most important factors that predict whether students will graduate from community college are the number of credits they…

Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, Michigan, was experiencing growing pains. The good news was that OU had experienced 23 years of continuous enrollment growth, with student enrollment exceeding 20,000 in 2015 for the first time ever. The downside was that various administrative processes throughout the university were straining to keep up. One…

The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Act is to ensure that students experiencing homelessness have access to the education and other services they need in order to meet state academic achievement standards, and ultimately, to graduate prepared for college and career. Most homeless educators work one-on-one with homeless children, youth, their parents…

We cannot continue to ask students -- and their families -- to make one of the largest and most important investments of their lives without clearer information about what their time and money will yield. In partnership with RTI International (RTI), operating in an independent capacity, IHEP is gathering expert insights needed to support making…

California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) was awarded a five-year grant, "Promoting Excellence in Graduate Education and Increasing Hispanic STEM Related Degree Completion", that began in Fall 2019. Despite the COVID-19 impact during the first year of grant implementation, the institution has established a co-director leadership…

The twenty-first-century economy necessitates, and rewards, higher education credentials and skill development. Earning a high school diploma is a necessary step toward entering the workplace, a fact not lost on education leaders and policymakers. This fact sheet introduces a collection of resources that focus in depth on instructional models and…

The Learn Everywhere Act provides greater flexibility for students to earn credits towards high school graduation requirements through approved learning experiences outside of the classroom. This document contains model policy for the establishment of a Learn Everywhere Act.

Building trust and loyalty creates an ethical foundation in schools that welcomes openness and sincerity within the community. This case focuses on challenging disciplinary questions in which authentic and transformative leaders/principals, through critical self-reflection, awareness, and discipline, must explore the effects that teachers and…