Today’s students are more racially diverse, older, and more likely to work while in college than the students that members of Congress and staff envision—or once were themselves. But the last time the Higher Education Act was rewritten, the nation was entering the Great Recession and was on the brink of major economic, technological and political change. Did the policies written in 2008 adequately anticipate the new majority of college students?

Former House Education & Workforce Committee Chairman George Miller, POLITICO’s  Kim Hefling, and Higher Learning Advocates teamed up for the release of a national opinion poll and a special edition of Education Insider examining how well the general public and policymakers understand the shifting demographics of higher education.

Featured experts and today’s students charting a new path toward postsecondary success included:

• Hon. George Miller, Former Chair of the House Education & Workforce Committee
• Kim Hefling, POLITICO
• Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
• Rachel Fleischer, Young Invincibles
• Kermit Kaleba, National Skills Coalition
• Andy MacCracken, National Campus Leadership Council
• Deborah Santiago, Excelencia in Education
• Julie Peller, Higher Learning Advocates
• Lydia Anderson, full-time Montessori teacher pursuing her degree online at Northern Virginia Community College
• Maureen Elias, U.S. Army veteran who balanced parenting with B.A. and M.A. studies
• Moises Mendoza, a first-generation college student at Williams College Class of 2019 and Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America Scholar