The college completion agenda demands improved graduation rates among adult learners and prior learning assessment (PLA) is a promising solution. PLA permits students to earn college credit for knowledge acquired outside of higher education and is associated with improved student outcomes. The current study expanded the literature regarding adult…

This annual publication provides a summary of training activity in apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia for the period 2001 to 2011. It includes information on training rates, individual completion rates, and duration of training. Highlights include: (1) 3.9% of Australian workers were employed as an apprentice or trainee as at December…

The Graduate First initiative was implemented to address the dropout crisis among students with disabilities in the state of Georgia, who continue to demonstrate a rate of attrition twice that of their non-disabled peers (Georgia Department of Education [GA DOE], 2010). This mixed method case study explored the perceptions and experiences of a…

The Texas B-On-Time (BOT) Loan Program is a unique state aid program intended to increase access to higher education in Texas and encourage on-time graduation. This state student loan may be completely forgiven if the otherwise eligible borrower completes his or her degree on time. The BOT Loan Program was developed in response to low on-time…

Anyone who fixates on graduation rates has little understanding not only of the rich mission and value of community colleges, but also how deeply flawed and inadequate those rates are as a principal assessment tool for the performance of community colleges. In this article, the author discusses what is wrong with the use of graduation rates as the…

A fundamental premise for creating the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation assumes that a critical mass of students motivates an institution to change how it operates to better serve these students to degree attainment. Increasing Hispanic degree attainment is in the national interest, and programs created by public policy to support…

This study uses a measure of the on-track or off-track status of students at the end of grade 9 as an indicator of whether students in five Texas districts would graduate from high school in four years. In all five districts, on-time graduation rates were higher for students who were on track at the end of grade 9 than for students who were off…

This study uses a measure of the on-track or off-track status of students at the end of grade 9 as an indicator of whether students in five Texas districts would graduate from high school in four years. In all five districts, on-time graduation rates were higher for students who were on track at the end of grade 9 than for students who were off…

For nearly a decade, states have had flexibility in collecting and reporting graduation rate data for state and federal accountability purposes. But in 2008, the U.S. Department of Education issued new guidelines that require all states to report a new rate--the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate--beginning in the 2011-2012 school year.…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) FY 2011 Spending Discussions Continue: Pressure Mounts as April 8 Deadline Approaches and Possibility of Government Shutdown…

Learning communities are widely recognized as a powerful pedagogy that promotes deep learning and student engagement, while also addressing a range of challenges that plague higher education. The Completion Agenda represents a complex set of intersecting priorities advocated by federal and state government, nonprofit organizations, colleges, and…

School systems are under increasing pressure to improve student performance. Several states have recently explored adopting student count methods for school funding purposes that incentivize school attendance and continuous enrollment by adjusting funding for changes in enrollment or attendance over the course of the school year. However, no…

The purpose of this study was to identify and define profiles of transfer students and assess if there are different levels of student success (as measured by first semester GPA, retention, and graduation) associated with of those profiles. Using cluster analysis, four transfer student types were identified and labeled as follows: Old Hand at…

At this moment, roughly 12 million Americans are unable to find work, with more than 40 percent of that number unemployed for six months or more. At the same time, current estimates put the number of job vacancies in this country at 3 million per month. The most popular explanation for this apparent paradox, the one put forth by former President…

Over the last two decades the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), has undergone transformation and ignited systemic change across the institution. Its Meyerhoff Scholars Program has made major achievements in recruiting and graduating African American students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at one of the…