Posts by lcadmin
Value, Accreditation, Accountability: A Dispatch from the Field
The prospect – some say threat – of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) has animated many lively discussions regarding the value of higher education, the integrity of the accreditation process, and the effectiveness of the existing accountability framework. With the possibility of a vote on reauthorization this summer, here is one perspective…
Read MoreA Rainy Day Fund for College Affordability
As the signature federal student aid program providing college access to low and middle-income Americans, the Pell Grant program is a vital bridge to higher education opportunity. Pell Grants have enabled millions of Americans to pursue higher learning by distributing need-based aid to students who otherwise would not be able to afford tuition. Funding the Pell…
Read More101: Pell Grant Rainy Day Fund
As the signature federal student aid program providing college access to low and middle-income Americans, the Pell Grant program is a vital bridge to higher education opportunity. Pell Grants have enabled millions of Americans to pursue higher learning by distributing need-based aid to students who otherwise would not be able to afford tuition. Funding the Pell Grant…
Read MoreThe third rail of higher education reform
A student entering college today is more likely to leave with debt than a degree, and 31 million Americans have some college credit, but no degree or credential at all. Yet the degree is still the North Star for economic opportunity: a bachelor’s degree-holder earns one million dollars more over their lifetime than their peers with only a high…
Read MoreState Leaders Press for Student-Centered Higher Education Policies
National higher education policy should be built around the needs and priorities of students, who are taking different pathways through higher education as part-time students, adults, workers, transfers, parents, and more. At Higher Learning Advocates’ first Champions Network briefing on Capitol Hill, “Unlocking College Opportunity for Today’s Students”, policymakers and higher education advocates were able…
Read MoreWalmart’s Big College Tuition News: How Employers Are Stepping Up to Help More Working Adults Earn a Degree
Recently, retail giant Walmart, the largest private employer in the nation, made big news in higher education by announcing a new tuition assistance program available to all of its U.S. employees. Walmart’s new program will enable its workers who do not currently hold a college degree to enroll at one of three universities for only…
Read MoreThis Tennessee Business Leader Has a Blueprint for Closing the Skills Gap
Joey Hatch, a recently retired construction executive and member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, credits his career success to a journey through higher education that started forty-five years ago— at college and career night put on by his local high school. “I love telling my story of how I got involved in higher education…
Read MoreThe Keys to Quality: Reforming Higher Education Accreditation Policy
The key to assuring higher education quality in the U.S. is accreditation, the complex system used by the Federal government as a gate-keeping mechanism to over $130 billion annually in federal student aid. But federal accreditation policy has become almost entirely focused on compliance and bureaucratic procedures, instead of what counts: student outcomes and results.…
Read MoreReforming Higher Education Accreditation Policy
Today’s students deserve a system of higher education that delivers high-quality results and a guarantee of economic success and upward mobility. The key to assuring higher education quality in the U.S. is accreditation, the complex system used by the Federal government as a gate-keeping mechanism to over $130 billion annually in federal student aid. But…
Read MoreJose Luis Cruz’s Fight to Expand Opportunity for Today’s Students
Dr. José Luis Cruz has a national reputation as a powerful voice for equity, opportunity and accountability in higher education. As an innovative administrator and advocate for low-income students, he has been at the forefront of efforts to enact effective policies that can deliver a high-quality college education for all of today’s students. Dr. Cruz…
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