Demography as Opportunity: Diversity as an Asset to Colleges and the Country
Reports & Tools
Do Open Educational Resources Improve Student Learning? Implications of the Access Hypothesis (Casey Kerins)
This new study of Open Educational Resources (OERs) discuss the “Access hypothesis;” That is, the hypothesis that OERs improve student learning, as students who traditionally could not afford to purchase textbooks now have free and open access to course materials. The authors discuss traditional research designs for assessing OERs and make the case that most are not equipped to accurately measure the success. The authors also provide implications and recommendations for OER research moving forward.
2019 Survey of College and University Presidents (Casey Kerins)
Gallup and Inside Higher Ed worked together to conduct the 2019 survey, which “seeks to understand how these leaders view the opportunities and challenges facing higher education institutions in the U.S.” Questions were asked on a variety of topics, including Affirmative Action, Higher Education Policy, Race & Religion, and more.
Completing College: A State-Level View of Student Completion Rates (Angela Henderson)
From the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the state supplement to the recently released seventh annual report on national college completion rates examines state-level six-year outcomes for students who began postsecondary education in fall 2012.
Alma Maters of the 116th Congress (Kristina Powers)
This short, two-page document shows the institutions and highest degrees earned of the 116th Congress. The graphs show types of college degrees held by Congress compared with the US population, where Congress earned their undergraduate degrees, popular institutions, congressional alma maters by state and popular college destinations. These interesting data factoids help us to understand the educational backgrounds of Congress members who are making decisions about higher education for our institutions.
Don’t Stop Believin’ (in the Value of a College Degree) (Angela Henderson)
This report from the House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor examines the value of a college degree, the rising cost of college, benefits of degree attainment, and suggestions for the next reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Emerging Trends
Demography as Opportunity: Diversity as an Asset to Colleges and the Country (Casey Kerins)
The United States is becoming even more diversified, and community colleges continue to play a role in providing an affordable, accessible education to racial and ethnic minorities. Despite the increased role of community colleges as “a viable pathway to economic mobility for those it serves,” community colleges are often left “under-resourced and stigmatized.” This article argues a new mindset of demography as opportunity: Seeing diversity as an asset, not an obstacle, both to community colleges and their students. This article was based on a chapter from the book 13 Ideas that are Transforming the Community College World.
Quality Indicators for the Provision of Accessible Educational Materials and Accessible Technologies (Angela Henderson)
The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials has developed a set of quality indicators and critical components to aid institutions in meeting accessibility requirements of state and local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and workforce preparation agencies.
Presidential Support (With Caveats) for OER (Casey Kerins)
A new survey of college and university presidents included findings regarding Open Educational Resources (OERs). This article discusses Presidents’ views on textbooks, OERs, and digital learning.
Policy Watch
Comment Period Open for Proposed Changes to IPEDS
The notice for proposed changes to the 2019-20 through 2021-22 IPEDS data collection is now available here. To see the associated documents, please go to regulations.gov and enter Docket ID number ED-2019-ICCD-0028. The 60-day comment period is open until May 21, 2019. Comments may be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail. Include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when submitting comments.
A Call for Policy Changes to Improve Access (Angela Henderson)
This article from Inside Higher Ed explores policy recommendations presented by leading higher education economist Catharine Bond Hill, including increasing class sizes, implementing antitrust laws to limit institutional competition, and providing full scholarships for veterans.
SXSW EDU 2019: Why we Need to Fix the College-to-Career Handoff (Kristina Powers)
For decades, access to and graduating with a degree were the goals. Over the last five years, a serious focus on employment has developed momentum beyond internships. College to career was one of the key discussions at the SXSW 2019 conference. The article describes the need for a greater handoff between colleges and employers, provides results from data collections and offers some sample models for having a better handoff.
Here’s What Trump’s 2020 Budget Proposal Means for Higher Ed (Casey Kerins)
While the President’s budget proposal is unlikely to be approved and enacted, it is a tool for revealing the White House’s goals and priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. For higher education, this includes reforming student-loan repayment, forgiveness, and the work-study program.
What’s Next for Federal Innovation Rules? (Casey Kerins)
The future of distance education policy is still unclear. Accreditation, state authorization, and regulations on distance education have recently been discussed by a subcommittee of the Department of Education’s negotiated rule-making panel. This article discusses the current status and potential changes to federal policy.
NCES Updates
Reopened OMB Comment Period for 2020 CIP Update
As previously communicated, NCES is requesting comments on proposed changes to the 2020 Update to the proposed Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). The 60-day comment period has been reopened through March 26, 2019. Please send questions to CIP2020@ed.gov.
NCES Blog Post
Check out the recent blog that discusses transfer data through the IPEDS data collection.
2011–12 First-Time Beginning Postsecondary Students’ Persistence, Retention, and Attainment in Postsecondary Education (Casey Kerins)
NCES released a new First Look report March 12, 2019 entitled Persistence, Retention, and Attainment of 2011-12 First-Time Beginning Postsecondary Students as of Spring 2017. This report presents findings from the 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/17) focusing on students’ persistence, retention, and attainment in postsecondary education 6 years after their initial enrollment.
College Navigator Updated
College Navigator now includes cost of attendance for the 2018-19 year and Completions by program/major for the 2017-18 year.
Data Trends Updated
The Trend Generator has been updated with the most current provisional data from the 2017-18 IPEDS data collection and the final revised data from the 2016-17 IPEDS data collection.
Projections of Education Statistics to 2027: Forty-sixth Edition (Angela Henderson)
This update of the Projections of Education Statistics includes enrollment and degrees projections for degree-granting postsecondary institutions. The report projects enrollment at degree-granting postsecondary institutions to increase three percent between 2016 and 2027 overall, with the proportion of white students expected to decrease as the number of students from most other racial/ethnic groups increases.