Supporting First-Generation Students: The Power of Peers
Attending college as a first-generation or low-income student can be a difficult path. Though neither of my parents graduated from high school, they encouraged their five children to go to college. Thankfully, by the time it was my turn, I had four older siblings who had kept their promise to my parents — four mentors…
Read MoreAre short-term credentials really the best thing since sliced bread?
The accelerating pace of workplace change raises the specter that formal degrees no longer meet workplace demands and might not be providing the skills and competencies that employers require and workers need. This sense of urgency has shined the spotlight on short-term credentials. Short-term credentials—such as certifications, certificates, and badges—appear attractive because they purport to…
Read MoreA Q&A with Gardner Carrick, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for The Manufacturing Institute, The National Association of Manufacturers
Insights & Outlooks: What are the most important education and training priorities for the manufacturing sector today? Manufacturers across the country are facing a workforce crisis. Surveys of the members of the National Association of Manufacturers have shown finding and retaining a qualified workforce to be the top concern for nearly two years running. This…
Read MoreThe New Credentials Marketplace
Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton documented the shocking increase in “deaths of despair” – the rising mortality rates for middle-aged White Americans with a high school education or less. While conversations continue about how best to prepare people for the future of work, the Case and Deaton data reminds us of the human…
Read MoreTaxpayers should demand a return on their investment in higher education
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…
Read MoreWhy Better Data Holds the Key to Improving Student Outcomes: A Q&A with Mamie Voight of the Institute for Higher Education Policy
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 race/ethnicity and…
Read MoreThe Next Wave of Student Completion: A Q&A with Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., President, Complete College America
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, particularly student outcomes. While many…
Read MoreUnderstanding Student Financial Success Through Data
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 by…
Read MoreMoving From Access to Success: How Outcomes-Based Policy Helped USF Change Course
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…
Read MoreCentering Student Outcomes, A Simple Yet Radical Mission
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…
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