Ensuring Equity: Policy Recommendations to Increase the Diversity of Selective Public Institutions of Higher Education
Not all institutions of higher education are equal—in their funding, resources, or student outcomes. Selective public institutions, typically defined as those with lower acceptance rates and high graduation rates compared to other public institutions, often offer the best odds for their students to succeed. Enrollment at selective institutions is correlated with student success, including higher…
Read MoreFactsheet: Equity Gaps in Higher Education
There is a significant and persistent disparity in educational attainment between different groups of students. Equity gaps between students of different races and ethnicities often begin in K-12 education—87 percent of white students graduate high school on time, compared to 76 percent of Hispanic and 73 percent of African Americans students. These gaps—the results of…
Read MoreWhat Works for Today’s Students: Increasing Diversity at Selective Institutions
Low-income, Black, and Latinx students are underrepresented at selective colleges and universities. Only 34 percent of low-income students with high standardized test scores will enroll at the nation’s most selective colleges, compared to 78 percent of students in the highest economic quartile. And only 19 percent of Black and Latinx students with high test scores…
Read MoreChampion Check-In: Aaron Thompson, President, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson shares what he learned from students through a listening tour across Kentucky, how his own background shaped his passion for higher education, and more.
Read More101: Part-time Students
Today’s students are more diverse than previous generations. Twenty-four percent are parents, 37 percent are older than 25, 49 percent are financially independent, and 42 percent are students of color. About 40 percent of today’s students attend part-time. For more background information on part-time students download 101: Part-Time Students. This 101 details who part-time students…
Read MorePolicies Impacting Today’s Part-Time Students
Today’s students are more diverse than previous generations. Twenty-four percent are parents, 37 percent are older than 25, 49 percent are financially independent, and 42 percent are students of color. About 40 percent of today’s students attend part-time. Unfortunately, the current higher education system — and the policies that govern it — can result in…
Read MoreLetter to House Education and Labor Committee: HEA Policy Recommendations
On October 28, Higher Learning Advocates, along with ten other members of the Today’s Students Coalition, sent a letter to leaders of the House Education and Labor Committee and the Senate HELP Committee to detail the Coalition’s HEA policy recommendations. Read the full letter here.
Read MoreLetter to Senate Appropriations Committee: Protect Pell in FY20 Spending Bill
On Monday, October 7, Higher Learning Advocates, along with 62 other groups, submitted a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee strongly urging the committee to oppose the overall Labor-HHS-Education spending allocation and the accompanying proposed $1.3 billion rescission from the Pell reserve fund and to instead fully retain all current Pell funds where they belong…
Read More101: Public Awareness: Racial Disparities in Higher Education
Public Awareness A national survey conducted by Higher Learning Advocates suggests that the public lacks awareness of achievement gaps in postsecondary education. When asked whether Hispanic and Black college students attending four-year public institutions were less likely to complete their degree than their white peers, a majority (51%) of survey respondents answered “no.” The truth…
Read More101: Equity Gaps in Higher Education
What is an Educational Equity Gap? An educational equity gap is where there is a significant and persistent disparity in educational attainment between different groups of students. The equity gap that exists between white students and students of color begins in K-12 education — where 87 percent of white students graduate high school on-time compared…
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