What do state policies say about how to fund postsecondary education? This 50-State Comparison answers this question by searching state statutes, state rules and regulations, enacted state budget bills, and state postsecondary education agency policies that address postsecondary education budgeting and funding. This resource inventories where…

Background/Context: The transition from high school to college marks a critical juncture for students planning to pursue higher education, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. Unfortunately, many of these students are left to navigate complex financial aid requirements, registration processes, and academic placement with…

The Bachelor's of Applied Science in Information Technology is one of almost 40 bachelor's and associate degrees at Broward College that embed industry certifications into the course of study. Programs with embedded certifications allow students to earn two types of credentials: one issued by industry, the other by higher education. These new…

Between 2014 and 2016, California policymakers invested a half-billion dollars in the California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT). The initiative funded regional and local partnerships to establish career pathways designed to lead secondary school students to postsecondary degrees or certifications aligned with regional workforce needs. This brief…

Recent research has helped shift the national understanding of the opportunities presented by Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, drawing attention to the large number of STEM jobs that require less than a Bachelor's degree. The data have also highlighted the critical importance of community colleges as a primary provider of…

The national college completion agenda is in full swing but the role of "community" colleges in that agenda is under-appreciated. With a large share of projected job openings requiring college education of less than a bachelor's degree and offering family-supporting wages, the nation's community colleges can make a huge contribution…

How did Washington create a clear organizational structure that assigns responsibility for each aspect of transfer policy to the group that is best suited to manage it (Kisker, Wagoner, and Cohen, 2011)? In this chapter, the authors will introduce the agencies, organizations, and entities that have played a key role in gathering information,…

When California approved its budget last month, the community-college system managed to escape the sharp budget cuts that befell most other agencies. But the state's fiscal troubles have nonetheless created a cash crisis for two-year colleges. As part of its plan to close a $41-billion budget deficit, California will delay providing $540-million…

Practitioners at individual community colleges and in-state agencies recognize the struggles of disadvantaged students, yet their combined efforts do not overcome the policies and practices that are contrary to advancing and aiding large student populations. In this article, an empirical investigation is briefly outlined, and the complex issue of…

Over the course of a decade, Cape Cod Community College gained regional and national recognition as a leader within the "green campus" movement. Today, it is regularly asked to participate in both dialogue and decision making at all levels. Along this journey it has found a unique identity that resonates across all publics; donors and grantors who…

California's community colleges are key to resolving the shortage of educated workers that is threatening the competitive position of the state's economy. Tremendous potential for addressing this challenge resides in the system's career technical education (CTE) mission which, with appropriate structures and support, could help many more students…

This report fulfills the biennial requirements of RCW 28B.76.250, which directs the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) "to submit a progress report on the development of transfer associate degrees to the higher education committees of the House of Representatives and Senate each odd-numbered year." The HECB report monitors…

The California Community Colleges are vital to closing the projected shortfall of Californians with a postsecondary credential and sustaining the state's economic competitiveness. Increasing the number of students who pursue and earn certificates and associate degrees in career technical education (CTE) fields is an important component of the…

In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (welfare reform), which, using the mechanism of the existing state Human Resource Investment Councils (HRICs) created by the Job Training Partnership Act Amendments of 1992, held out the promise of improving effective coordination among and across…

This report is one of several efforts designed to monitor outcomes in Washington's higher education system, and fulfills the biennial requirement that the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) inform the higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature of progress toward goals. The portrait that emerges from this review of…