Charter schools are a permanent and growing part of America's public education system, serving nearly 4 million students in more than 8,100 schools nationwide. Charter schools are experiencing consistent, nationwide growth, adding over half a million students over the last six years (+15%) even as the overall school-age population shrinks. This…

This brief examines national trends in the representation of first-generation college students over a 24-year period. Using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) and the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), the analysis finds a significant decline in the proportion of first-generation students enrolled in…

As of fall 2024, enrollment across Washington's community and technical colleges has increased for eight consecutive quarters. This brief explores how the enrollment recovery has affected select programs and demographic groups across the system.

There is a perception that charter schools in the United States enroll students with disabilities at a lower rate than traditional public schools despite federal laws that require charter schools to provide the same services as traditional public schools. This systematic review answers the question: What research exists that explores the…

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of the social and economic lives of individuals, families, and communities. It also highlighted and deepened existing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. Education, too, was negatively impacted by the pandemic. Research has provided ample evidence about the challenges related to learning…

Determining best practices for graduate enrollment requires continuous dedication by graduate enrollment personnel to identify innovative and relevant recruitment strategies to attract potential graduate applicants. The dynamic landscape of higher education creates further complexity as these best practices must also align with institutional…

Notable gaps in academic literature exist as it pertains to understanding the influence of institutional characteristics on modality enrollment patterns in the community college environment. Given these gaps, this study examined whether institutional control, locale, and size could serve as predictors of whether a community college is more…

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted student learning and the delivery of public education. Across the United States, most public K-12 schools saw widespread enrollment declines during the 2020-21 school year, with many reporting continued declines in subsequent school years. But the District of Columbia (DC) stands out as one of the few…

Washington's high school graduation rate has increased over the past decade. In 2022, 82 percent of high school students in the state graduated in four years, a six-percentage point increase over the 2013 graduation rate. This report looks at postsecondary enrollment trends for Washington high school graduates in the classes of 2020 and 2021…

The "2025 Factual Look at Higher Education in Nebraska" uses data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) surveys from 2014-15 to 2024-25 to provide comparative data for Nebraska's public higher education institutions. This report reviews 10-year trends in postsecondary enrollments: (1) by Sector and by…

In 2000, federally funded public adult education programs provided basic skills training and English language instruction to over 2.6 million students, or about 1.5% of the U.S. adult population. By 2021, enrollment had plummeted to under 900,000, or less than 0.4% of adults. What explains these declines? This policy brief describes the evolution…

Although students who have ever been identified as English learners (ever-ELs) during K-12 comprise a significant and growing share of the population, the transient nature of K-12 EL status and services makes it difficult for researchers to follow ever-ELs throughout their educational pipeline and into college. We use longitudinal state…

University students of Business Administration and related fields have high dropout rates, with previous research identifying student profiles of dropouts in business studies. Evidence is lacking for other university systems. Austria (Europe) allows for multiple enrollments and students with multiple enrollments accomplish more workload even after…

The number of Idaho high school students earning college credit through participation in dual credit courses has risen dramatically over the last decade. This study aimed to investigate whether the sense of belonging among dual credit students influenced their choice to pursue higher education opportunities. The study took place at a small…

This study evaluates the predictive validity of Texas's course-based College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators by examining how different pathways relate to postsecondary outcomes. While the state's accountability system treats college prep and dual credit pathways as equivalent signals of readiness, this analysis shows that they…