At a time when 87% of employers believe that our colleges must raise the quality of students' educations in order for the United States to remain competitive globally, and four in five Americans say they believe all graduates should have to take the key courses outlined in the study, few colleges require a real liberal arts education. "What…

Creating more and better pathways from high school to higher education is essential for Colorado to reach its state goals of increasing college completion rates and decreasing high school dropout rates. Dual enrollment is one strategy states across the country are using to cultivate seamless P-20 pathways. Dual enrollment programs provide high…

The Futures Academy program provides students with the opportunity to fulfill high school graduation requirements while simultaneously earning industry certifications, college credits, and/or an Associate of Applied Science degree by August following their senior year. In addition to taking college courses, Futures Academy students must earn…

Student movement between institutions can no longer be deemed atypical. Approximately one-third of all students transfer during their college career and of those who transfer, 25% will transfer more than once. While movement from two-year to four-year institutions is still the most prevalent transfer pathway, it is important to note that 43% of…

Only about half of all students who enroll in colleges and universities in the United States earn a four-year degree at the institution where they begin their studies, and many postsecondary institutions are seeking ways to increase the graduation rates of their students. Both student characteristics and institutional factors influence a student's…

In this paper, we consider lessons for other countries about the design of student loans with income-contingent repayments (i.e. repayments calculated as "x" per cent of each borrower's subsequent income). Using a dataset of 20,000 simulated lifetime graduate earnings paths, we estimate the cost and distributional effects of reforms in…

This study investigated teacher impact on the academic achievement of students of poverty. Teacher impact was analyzed based on two factors: (1) teacher emotional empathy and (2) teacher professional development experiences. The results of this study indicate a non-correlative relationship between teachers' overall emotional empathy and…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the predominant format, benefits and challenges of distance education at the target school as perceived by multiple groups of stakeholders. Important in identifying the above categories were gaining an understanding of the reasons behind participant perceptions as well as the reasons for…

Since 2010 Cedefop has been monitoring ECVET developments in relation to national VET qualification systems. This is the fourth annual report, four years after the ECVET recommendation and 11 years after the first ECVET-related meeting at European level; it covers developments up to September 2013. The report examines 38 countries and regions,…

Many proponents of private school choice take for granted that schools won't participate if government asks too much of them, especially if it demands that they be publicly accountable for student achievement. Were such school refusals to be widespread, the programs themselves could not serve many kids. But is this assumption justified? A new…

Since 1998, the Iowa Department of Education's Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation has compiled and published "The Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges." This report is designed to help Iowans understand the challenges and opportunities community colleges face in providing quality programs to meet the…

The division of college, career and technical education (CCTE) of the Tennessee Department of Education established the office of postsecondary coordination and alignment in 2012 for the purpose of expanding and promoting early postsecondary opportunities (EPSOs) for all high school students across the state. The office is also charged with…

A quality education is the primary instrument of social and economic mobility in the United States. As open-access institutions, community colleges are the gateway to postsecondary education for millions of Americans. Many of these students would be unable to afford college without federal resources, such as student financial aid and tax credits.…

Emerging alongside the open educational resources movement of the past decade, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been widely heralded as advancing cause of providing increased access to higher education. The article explores the implications of the recommendation by the American Council on Education (ACE) to offer college credit for a…

The transition into college remains one of the most formative and complex phases in an individual's life. Institutions of higher learning have responded to the challenges facing first-year students in myriad ways, most often by offering summer orientation programs, dynamic living-learning environments, tailored academic and psychological support…