Our Champions Network

The Higher Learning Advocates Champions Network is a group of forward-thinking state and local leaders devoted to improving quality, outcomes and affordability in postsecondary education.

Meet Our Champions

Drawing on diverse personal backgrounds, views, and work experiences, these leaders are united in advancing real solutions to better serve today’s students. They bring to bear cutting-edge policy ideas and hands-on solutions to the discourse around national higher education policy and improving student outcomes.

View our Policy Principles

Policy Principles

Clearer Pathways

Clearer Pathways

Strengthen pathways between postsecondary, workforce, and job-training programs.

Federal policy should reinforce connections between postsecondary education and training programs to promote educational and workforce success and make credentials and skills more transferable and portable for students.

Greater Affordability

Greater Affordability

Reform federal student aid programs to better serve today’s students.

Federal student aid programs should be updated to closely reflect the needs of today’s students, who are studying in a broader range of formats, often returning to education after a stop-out, and balancing education with work and family commitments.

Higher Quality

Higher Quality

Update quality assurance to focus on student outcomes.

Our federal higher education quality assurance system should be centered on students and their outcomes. An institution’s quality should be measured not on inputs, but whether or not it produces strong outcomes for students.

Stronger Outcomes

Stronger Outcomes

Hold institutions accountable for student outcomes, and reward those who serve today’s students well.

Federal policy should support institutions that produce high-quality outcomes and successfully enroll and complete today’s students, regardless of age, race, employment, or income.

Better Data

Better Data

Improve data to count all of today’s students and provide transparency to students and the public.

Federal postsecondary data systems should be improved to accurately reflect who today’s students are and the outcomes and return on investment they can expect from higher learning.

Download our Champions one-pager >>