Scholarship on minority-serving institutions (MSIs) has established the critical role they play in spite of significant financial constraints. At the same time, descriptive statistical analyses have also found that MSIs, as a group, have lower completion rates than the national average. More research is thus needed on the factors underlying the…

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) playbook series has explored strategies and processes states can use to strengthen CTE program quality and provide students with pathways to postsecondary credentialing and middle- and higher-wage career opportunities. This fifth playbook in the series addresses the final set of steps for strengthening…

Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs are an important investment in Ohio's youngest learners. Ohio has worked to increase the availability of high-quality early learning programs for preschool children by providing the Early Childhood Education grants. Funded programs deliver high-quality, comprehensive learning environments focused on healthy…

This is an age of profound socio-economic and geopolitical change. While the world is increasingly interconnected it is also threatened by climate change and demographic transformation. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is aggravating the disruption caused by these seismic societal shifts. Meeting the challenges of a changing world requires new skills…

Colorado, like other states across the country, utilizes various strategies to provide students with opportunities to achieve college credit in high school and cultivate seamless P-20 pathways to increase credential completion. For example, Colorado students take rigorous courses in high school through the Advanced Placement (AP) and International…

Despite having been the largest source of financial aid to low-income college students in the United States, the traditional Pell Grant had one major limitation: If students enrolled in two semesters full-time, they would not have had any tuition support for the summer term of the same academic year. The year-round Pell (YRP) was implemented in…

The Academic Supply and Occupational Demand report highlights the connections between degrees that are being produced in Tennessee and the jobs that are available in the state. This report is divided into four sections: (1) Expected Degrees presents projections of postsecondary credentials to be awarded by public, private, and proprietary…

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life across the globe, changing how people work, live, and learn. It has also highlighted the disparities in equity across education and work. Higher education was already on a course for significant transformation in how learners access instruction and how academia connects to the working world. In response,…

Intermediaries that design and build work-based learning delivery systems believe that postsecondary credentials--certifications and degrees (both associate's and bachelor's)--are a requirement for most good jobs. Indeed, such credentials increase access to economic mobility and, ultimately, greater equity. When coupled with work-based learning…

This Data Point uses data from the 2009 follow-up to the 2004 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study to examine the rates of employment among students who do and do not earn a postsecondary credential, and among those who earn a credential in an occupational versus academic field. The Data Point also looks at the percent of students…

This case describes one university's journey to embed social, emotional, and cultural learning (SEC) deeply into a three-semester combined multiple-subject credential and MA program centered on social justice. The authors describe stages of program development and point to key anchor competencies they believe essential for beginning teachers and…

Several economic factors influence the availability of job openings and labor supply, including technological change and access to quality educational resources. One of the most important factors explaining the current disparity between available jobs and labor supply, however, has been the "skills gap," or the difference between the…

The manufacturing workforce has been shaped by decades of industry transformation. Modern manufacturing requires workers with a diverse set of skills to perform functions such as research and development (R&D), product and production design, marketing and sales, and customer support. While workers with a high school diploma or less dominated…

This study examined the relationship between the leadership readiness beliefs of perspective school leaders and the efficacy-building experiences in which they participated during university preparation programs. I developed and administered a survey to 176 prospective school leaders during the final months of their preliminary administrative…

Many states include non-degree credentials (such as certificates, industry certifications, or licenses) within their statewide educational attainment goal. These goals set targets for the percentage of residents with a postsecondary credential. In order to measure progress towards educational attainment goals, states must collect data about each…