Growing concerns over student debt have led to a series of sweeping policy proposals from higher education associations, think tanks, and policymakers over the last decade to align state and federal higher education financing policy. The existing framework, in which states primarily subsidize institutions and the federal government primarily…

One major challenge that institutions face when launching transformation efforts is that they operate in "silos," meaning that they have separate departments--for example, student services, financial aid, and advising--that operate independently with little communication or coordination. Many successful transformation efforts include a…

Containing costs for students in higher education is a significant priority for the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the state of Colorado. Open educational resources (OER) are educational materials licensed to be freely shared and available at no cost to students. The Department champions OER as a strategic means of meeting the demand…

This chapter describes the characteristics of successful partnerships between a state-level department and local community colleges. Particular focus is paid to the lack of mandated collaboration between the entities and the elements necessary for motivation and sustainability.

The Certification Data Exchange Project (CDEP) was launched in 2012 to provide a model for sharing industry-recognized credential attainment data. Increasingly, employers and education leaders are recognizing the value of industry credentials to verify the knowledge, skills and abilities that students bring to the workforce. As states take steps…

An early warning system is a data-based tool that helps predict which students are on the right path towards eventual graduation or other grade-appropriate goals. Through such systems, stakeholders at the school and district levels can view data from a wide range of perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of student data. This "Statewide…

The survey on hot topics was added in 2007 to the annual survey of state directors of community colleges conducted by the University of Alabama Education Policy Center. The survey data provided an opportunity for examining the personal attitudes toward the hot topics and the associations between these attitudes and state contexts. This study finds…

This report is Iowa's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The overall goal of…

The Academic Competitiveness (AC) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants were established by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The grants provide merit-based financial aid to certain low-income college students eligible for Federal Pell Grants and are administered by the Department of Education (Education).…

Federal education policy in recent years has encouraged state and local education agencies to embrace data use and analysis in decision-making, ranging from policy development and implementation to performance evaluation. The capacity of these agencies to make effective and methodologically sound use of collected data for these purposes remains an…

For the graduating class of 2006, the average ACT score for all test takers in West Virginia was 20.6. While the rate is below the national average, scores have increased significantly for the second consecutive year. Research demonstrates that the best predictor of college success is a rigorous high school curriculum, and it is anticipated that…

This bulletin is divided into four parts. Part I contains lists of institutions accredited by State universities. Part II contains lists of institutions accredited by State departments of education. Part III contains lists of recognized or approved colleges prepared by the influential voluntary organizations of secondary and higher institutions…

With the enactment of Act 46 of 2005, the General Assembly changed the landscape of funding, auditing and reporting for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's fourteen community colleges. Act 46 also requires that the Department of Education produce an annual report reflecting data collected from the community colleges relevant to the immediately…

It is the purpose of this study to analyze some of the phases of accreditation of higher educational institutions, especially from the viewpoint of the responsibilities of the States. An account of the historical development of accreditation by State, regional, and Nation-wide agencies will be given. The existing practices of agencies within…

During the biennium 1926-1928 approximately 1,200 educational acts of general application were passed in the continental United States. The outstanding general feature is the increased tendency to employ educational surveys and state-wide investigations as bases for educational legislation. In recent years legislatures and school officials have…