Testimony before the U.S. Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Addressing Funding for the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education for FY 2020 May 20, 2019 Higher Learning Advocates (HLA) would like to thank the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Educa...

Washington, D.C. (May 20th, 2019) — Today, Julie Peller, executive director of Higher Learning Advocates, released a statement responding to the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement to launch a new experimental site to create greater flexibility in the Federal Work Study program and an expansion of an existing site to provide more incarc...

Another April 15th has come and gone, which means hundreds of millions of Americans have filed their income taxes. Well, what if I told you the federal government is spending your tax dollars every year on higher education institutions that graduate only one out of 10 students?  $108 million annually to be exact. Would you…

Insights & Outlooks: How has the national conversation around outcomes in higher education evolved in recent years? Mamie Voight: For too long, we have struggled to answer key questions about outcomes in higher education—questions like: Who graduates from college? How do students fare in the workforce after college? How do outcomes vary by ra...

Insights & Outlooks: What challenges have prevented two and four-year institutions from missing the mark on improving student outcomes? Yolanda Watson Spiva: Many challenges have prevented two- and four-year institutions from improving student outcomes. The first is a design flaw. Most institutions are not designed with a focus on students, par...

While various aspects of the charter school model remain at the center of hot-button political debates, there are many lessons that can be learned from their successes and failures. A more nuanced look reveals that, when done well, charter schools can provide a high-quality—and greatly personalized—educational experience to students. The storie...

Elaina Mulé was fortunate to have a rewarding undergraduate and graduate experience due to impactful mentors, work and research opportunities, igniting her own personal passion for higher education. Today, working on the Community Development team at Charles Schwab Bank in Las Vegas, Elaina is helping to guide efforts to give back to the community...

For decades, colleges and universities have focused on access as the primary means of fulfilling higher education’s promise to change students’ lives. The University of South Florida, where I work as the vice president for student success, was no different. But nearly 10 years ago, we began to turn our attention to outcomes. While ensuring&hell...

Students should be at the center of our higher education system. It’s a simple sentence, not even a very long one at that, yet there is a profound and radical sentiment in that brevity. Students should be at the center of our higher education system. Because the truth is, students aren’t at the center of…

Julie Peller is quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education where she argues that it is critical to preserve the Pell surplus in case of a future economic downturn.

Emily Bouck West was quoted in Inside Higher Ed where she argues for using metrics other than the cohort default rate to hold institutions of higher education accountable for student outcomes.

Julie Peller’s latest op-ed discusses ways policymakers can better align federal policy to ensure the success of today’s students.